Illusions
by DahliaStarr
Summary: Silverpaw knows that she must pass Initiation to become a Follower of BrokenClan-descended from RiverClan and ShadowClan. It's simple: pass Initiation and live, or be exiled and die. But what happens when everything you believed turned out to be a lie? When the only thing left to face is the truth? And how do you keep a secret that should never have been told in the first place?
1. Prolouge

**Hello dear readers! I know, I know: I'm a terrible person for not updating **_**A Symphony of Secrets**_** but I'm at such a writer's block for that story that I decided to put it on a temporary hiatus and start another story. Hopefully my muse will return soon. I have no idea where this story is going to go-or if it'll go anywhere for that matter. This is just something I thought of to keep me busy and to get me back on track with my writing :) **

**Summary: **This story takes place in the future when the four Clans have fought themselves into near extinction. Just before StarClan fell, they gave one last message to the Clans:Merge together or die. ShadowClan and RiverClan became BrokenClan (their name signifies that nothing can ever be truly fixed) and ThunderClan and WindClan became StormClan (because wind and thunder make a storm). Few cats still believe in their ancestors but almost every cat has prayed to them at one point or another.

Every season, three she-cats are chosen in each Clan to mate with a tom from their own Clan so that their kits are born close to one another. The mothers are taken away to unknown territory to give birth to their kits that spend their first few moons there. After six moons, they face initiation, which is a series of brutal tests that go on until they reach twelve moons of age. They are pushed to the maximum of physical, emotional, and mental strength. If one cat cannot go on or refuses to continue, they are punished either by death or exile.

If the initiates survive the six moon training, they become Followers and get their warrior names. Then the whole thing starts all over again.

**Enjoy my lovely readers!**

_Prologue_

The ice-cold breeze flowed swiftly through the trees, howling eerily in the heavy blackness that even the full moon could not penetrate. Brittle leaves crunched under the paws of four cats that made their way a few tail-lengths from the churning river. The snow on the ground was slick and made the cats shiver violently, their fur fluffed up against the Leaf-Bare weather.

"Tawnyflame, are we almost there?" asked one she-cat, breaking the silence. Her pale coat was stark against the darkness that surrounded them and her belly, round with expecting kits, protruded out on both sides.

"We're nearly there, Ryefeather," the smallest of the four, a dark tortoiseshell, replied softly as she led the way through the quiet pine forest.

"If we don't get there soon my paws are going to fall off!" a white she-cat complained, her black underbelly not quite as round as Ryefeather's. "This is insane. Why in StarClan is Ceaderstar making us walk to some unknown piece of territory in the middle Leaf-Bare?"

"Swiftpetal, this is how it has always been," the fourth cat scolded, her silver tabby fur gleaming in the weak moonlight. "You know that."

"Skywhisper's right," Tawnyflame meowed, ducking under a low-hanging branch of a pine tree. "I know this is only your first litter but you'll have plenty more so I suggest you get used to doing this."

Swiftpetal sniffed. "You say that like giving birth to kits is the only thing we're good for."

"We're Providers," Ryefeather pointed out. "The name itself states that our purpose is to give the Clan new life."

"But it's not fair!" Swiftpetal cried, tail lasing back and forth. "In initiation, they didn't tell us that we'd all have to mate at one point or another and have kits. I never even wanted kits!"

"It doesn't matter what you want, Swiftpetal!" Skywhisper snapped, painstakingly making her way over a dead log. Her stomach was far larger than the other she-cats', indicating that it wouldn't be long before she gave birth to her kits. "Do you think any of the she-cats in BrokenClan wanted to have kits so early in their lives? Of course not! But it's our duty to the Clan; it's part of how we have survived for so long. What do you think would happen if every cat could just mate whenever they wanted with whoever they wanted? It would be chaos!"

"Redfern told me once that that's how we used to live," Swiftpetal protested. "That there used to be four Clans instead of two and the cats where free to do whatever they wanted as long as the hunted and protected their Clan."

Ryefeather flicked the younger she-cat with her tail. "Redfern was a crazy old cat," she reprimanded. "She was old and her mind was going. Ceaderstar did us a great kindness by exiling her."

"Which you would do well to remember," Skywhisper stated flatly.

Before anyone could say anything else, Tawnyflame halted and turned to face the three Providers. Her green eyes were sorrowful but determined. "This is where I leave you," she told them calmly.

Swiftpetal gasped. "What? You're not going to stay and help us give birth to our kits?"

"Of course not," the Medicine Cat Trainee snorted, glancing at the youngest queen. "The only ones who are allowed past this point are Providers and kits." When she noticed Swiftpetal's look of terror, she added kindly, "Ryefeather and Skywhisper have done this many times before, Swiftpetal. You have all the herbs you'll need and two experienced she-cats to help you. I have no purpose but to lead you here and make sure you don't get lost."

Skywhisper dipped her broad head to Tawnyflame. "Thank you Tawnyflame. We'll see you again in six moons."

Tawnyflame nodded once and padded back the way they had come, soon disappearing into the shadows of the forest. All was silent expect for Swiftpetal's ragged breathing.

"Come now, young one," Ryefeather mewed gently, wrapping her tail around the she-cat's shoulders and leading her into the unknown territory. "Everything will be fine, you'll see."

Skywhisper followed her friends, careful not to step on any thorns or stumble into a bramble bush. This was her fourth time as a Provider but she still could never get used to the clear, clean scent of the forest. The familiar smell of her Clanmates and of the BrokenClan border clung faintly to her tabby fur, the only sign that she had not been born in this part of the territory.

She felt a little nudge in her side and she thought sadly, _I'm sorry kits. I wish I could bring you into a better world._ She had been like Swiftpetal once, angry at everything and feeling the injustice of their "duty to the Clan". She'd hated that their futures were already placed, that they had no choice no matter what Ceaderstar led them all to believe.

But that was a long time ago and Skywhisper had learned the hard way that you either accepted your fate or faced immediate death. Ceaderstar always told them, "The only way to survive is to set aside out selfish wants and focus solely on our Clan. That is why we have thrived for so long and how we will continue to grow. If any cat feels differently, they will face harsh punishment, exile, or death."

He made it sound like there were three consequences, but there was really only one. "Harsh punishment" almost always meant death, and if you were exiled then you were as good as dead. So it was really just a thinly veiled threat of death that made it sound as if there even a slim chance you'd survive.

Ceaderstar had a wonderful way with words.

Pulling herself back to the present, Skywhisper shook her head to rid it of the unwanted memories. That was the past and right now she had to focus on getting to the single den that she knew stood slumped against a pine tree and was made out of compacted mud and twigs. It was hardly a safe place to raise newborn kits, but they had no other option.

By now, Swiftpetal had stopped hyperventilating and was back to her whining. "How do they expect us to hunt for prey when we're expecting kits?"

"BrokenClan specifically chose this spot for Providers to kit because it's the only place in the forest that has so much prey that it's easy to catch. Even in Leaf-Bare," Ryefeather explained. "Usually the one who is the farthest from giving birth is expected to catch most of the food for the other two. But since that doesn't always work, there are a bunch of herbs to keep away hunger until one of us is able to hunt."

This didn't seem to reassure the younger she-cat. "So since I'm the one farthest from kitting, I'm the one who has to hunt for you two?" Swiftpetal exclaimed in disbelief. "But that's ridiculous!"

Skywhisper's whiskers twitched in faint amusement. "I remember when I was in your position. There was all this pressure on me because if I didn't catch anything then my two friends might starve. But don't worry; like Ryefeather said, there's plenty of prey here."

Swiftpetal pointedly glanced around and then narrowed her eyes at the silver tabby. "It sure doesn't seem like it."

Skywhisper rolled her green eyes. "Maybe if you shut your mouth for once you'd be able to realize that-" Her voice broke off as a sudden, painful contraction took hold of her.

"Skywhisper?" Ryefeather demanded worriedly, she rushed forward and pressed against her. "What is it, what's wrong?"

"Kits…" she whispered as a fierce shudder rippled through her. She let out a low groan and her legs buckled under her. Only her friend's sturdy shoulder kept her from collapsing into the marshy ground underneath her.

Swiftpetal glanced from one she-cat to the other, her amber eyes wide with fear. "What's happening?" she asked frightfully.

Ryefeather immediately took control of the situation, a grim expression on her features. "Swiftpetal, hurry and go find the thickest stick you can! Skywhisper's kits are coming."

"B-but she's not due for another moon-"

"There's no time for that!" Ryefeather snapped as Skywhisper wailed in agony when white-hot pain spread throughout her entire body. "We need to get these kits out now before they die!"

Without another word to the black and white she-cat, the old Provider turned to Skywhisper whose flanks were heaving for breath. "Skywhisper, you need to lay down, okay?"

The silver tabby nodded once and, with the help of Ryefeather, slowly lowered her aching body to the muddy ground. She curled up slightly to try and ease the pain radiating from her stomach and terror started to take hold of her. "Ryefeather…" she gasped in a strangled voice. "Don't let…them…die…"

Her white and cream friend gazed down at her with grave blue eyes. "I'll do my best Skywhisper. I will do whatever it takes to make sure your kits live, I promise." She placed her paws on the queen's flank and felt around, noticing how one of the forms was turned the wrong way. _Oh StarClan, help us._

Swiftpetal suddenly appeared dragging a large thick stick in her jaws. She placed it by Skywhisper's head who gratefully took it. "What's wrong with her?" she breathed softly, eyes wide with anxiety.

"One of her kits is turned the wrong way," Ryefeather meowed. "Swiftpetal, I need you to come around on her other side and help me try and work it back the right way."

"Are you sure this'll work?" Swiftpetal murmured as she did as the older she-cat instructed. She put her paws tentatively on Skywhisper's side and began to slowly message her stomach.

Ryefeather didn't even look up from where she was doing the exact same thing as Swiftpetal. "It has to," she answered quietly.

After a few moments of messaging, Ryefeather stopped and felt around once again, nodding slightly. "Good, we turned it around the right way. But Skywhisper, you need to push _now _or else you'll lose them. Do you hear me?"

Skywhisper nodded as her body contracted again. Her eyes were determined but grim.

"Okay on the count of three, start pushing. One…two…THREE!"

Skywhisper bit down hard on the stick and she pushed with all her might. Swiftpetal was positioned by her other end and caught the first kit in her jaws. Ryefeather told her to nip the sack and start licking it right before the second kit slid out. With one last hard push, the third and final bundle plopped out and Ryefeather caught it and started to lick it urgently.

Soon, the tiny newborn raised its head and began to mew pitifully. The sound sent a jolt of happiness through the white and cream she-cat. They had done it!

Except…where were the other two sounds of life that should have filled the silence around them? Ryefeather lifted her gaze, confused. Surely the other two should be squealing just like this little kit was, right? But what she saw instead made her heart plummet.

Swiftpetal was still furiously licking the two kits, desperation clouding her amber eyes. Skywhisper, however, lay staring at the queen and her kin with a grief-stricken expression etched onto her pretty features.

_No…_

Ryefeather placed the mewling kit the curve of its mother's belly and it began to suckle right away. Then she padded slowly to where the black and white she-cat had not yet given up.

"Swiftpetal…" she whispered, touching her tail gently to her friend's shoulder. "Swiftpetal, they're gone."

"No!" Swiftpetal cried, nudging the dead kits with her muzzle. "No, I just need to keep licking them! They're alive, they have to be!"

Ryefeather placed her paw on the she-cat's, waiting for Swiftpetal to tear her gaze away from the stillborn kits before meowing harshly, "They're dead, so you hear me? There is nothing more you can do for them!"

"How can you say that?" Skywhisper mewed wretchedly, causing both heads to turn to look at her. Her green eyes were filled with grief and pain and she was glaring at Ryefeather. "There's still hope for them Ryefeather!"

Ryefeather crouched down in front of the queen who was struggling to stand up. The single living kit mewed in protest as she was jarred from her comfortable position. "Skywhisper!" she hissed, looking directly into her friend's eyes. "Listen to me: Your kits are gone, okay? No, listen," she added when Skywhisper opened her mouth, "I know this is hard for you. Trust me, I understand."

"No you don't," the tabby she-cat whispered. "How could you possibly know what this feels like?"

Ryefeather's blue eyes flashed. "Don't I? I lost a kit once, Skywhisper. Four were born but only one survived. And I was devastated. How could I possibly go on when one of my kits had never had the chance to live?" Her gaze grew unfocused as she relived the memories of her past. "It wasn't fair that I had my whole life ahead of me when one of my kits never did. And then I realized, he was only _one_ of my kits. I had three other who had survived and I didn't even notice because I was so consumed with the death of that kit.

"What I'm trying to say, Skywhisper," she continued, blinking and shaking herself out of her past. "Is that you have one healthy kit who survived. You need to focus on her now because there is nothing else you can do for the other two, do you understand me?"

Skywhisper looked at Ryefeather for a long moment and her friend held her gaze steadily. Finally, the silver tabby closed her eyes for a heartbeat and then reopened them. She glanced at her two stillborn kits and murmured, "I want to name them."

"Skywhisper-"

"I need to, Ryefeather," she pleaded. "Please."

After a moment, the white and cream she-cat nodded reluctantly and brought the two kits over. The largest one resembled his father, Buzzardstrike, with his smoky long dark gray fur. She touched her nose tenderly to the tom's little head and breathed, "I'll call you Featherkit. I know you would've made a great warrior." Then she turned to her slightly smaller daughter, who had inherited her mother's silver coat dappled with white. "And you shall be Aspenkit. I know you would have made me proud."

Skywhisper bowed her head and was silent as a shudder passed through her. She opened her eyes and turned away from her dead kits, instead focusing on the squirming bundle that was still suckling eagerly. The she-cat was the smallest of the litter, and her long wispy pelt was a light gray and dark tabby stripes lined her whole body. The silver was only broken by a tiny white chest that moved up and down with the kit's steady breaths.

"What are you going to name her?" Swiftpetal questioned, a look of fondness already adorning her features.

Skywhisper bent down towards her kit who lifted her small head and let out a loud mew. A loud purr suddenly erupted in the queen's chest as she stared lovingly at her daughter. "She will be named Silverkit, because of her gray fur."

Ryefeather's tail curled up in amusement. "She's got the spirit of a fighter already. Best be careful with that one, Skywhisper."

Skywhisper never took her eyes off of her precious kit when she answered, "I'll never let anyone hurt you. I'll protect you, little one." She gave Silverkit's head a small lick as she gave the most important vow of her life:

"I promise."

**Ta-da! So what did you think? Like it? love it? hate it? just wanna throw a shoe at me? Well, I wanna hear your opinion! Besides, the review button is looking pretty lonely ;)**


	2. Chapter one

**Thanks to those who reviewed :) here are the comments as per usual.**

**Honeyshine: Thanks so much! I have no idea where I'm going with this so we'll see what happens. And I did read Yellowfang's Secret and I loved it XD**

**Wingbreeze: I'm sorry! I'm trying to write the next chapter of that story but I'm struggling :\**

**Fallen Dewdrops: thanks so much for your support :)**

**Pokemon Warrior Mew: thanks! I don't really read them either, much less write them, but the idea just came to me :P**

**Ty7769: Lol writer's block-the source of most of my problems XD and thanks :) **

**Rosietx: I will try and write the next chapter of that story hopefully soon :) thanks for your support. :3**

**Dustwhisker The Cat: thanks for your review ^-^**

**Alright, here we go!**

ALLEGIANCES

BROKENCLAN

**Leader:** Ceaderstar-heavily scarred dark brown tom with yellow eyes

**Deputy:** Buzzardstrike-smoky gray tom with faint tabby stripes and blue eyes

**Medicine Cat:** Mintwhisker-skinny black she-cat with white paws and green eyes

**Trainee:** Tawnyflame –dark tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**Followers** (toms and she-cats that successfully passed Initiation):

Hawkthorn-large pale brown tabby with darker splotches and amber eyes

Echostep- dappled silver and white she-cat with a long scar on her left side and blue eyes

Thistlefur- white tom with tabby patches, black paws, and pale green eyes

Sunfang-golden tom with a completely shredded ear, a twisted fang, and cold blue eyes

Dovestone- dark gray she-cat with a white tail-tip and green eyes

Larkwing-cream she-cat with pale yellow splotches, half a tail, and yellow eyes

Lizardclaw-black tom with one brown ear, a scarred muzzle, and amber eyes

Otterpelt- dusty brown and white tom with amber eyes

Nightfrost- black and gray she-cat with blue eyes; blind in one eye.

Mallowshade-skinny dark gray she-cat with a matted pelt and cold blue eyes

Scorchfoot- pale ginger tabby tom with four white paws and yellow eyes

Tigerleaf- brown tabby tom with dark green eyes

Shredfur-black and white tom with patches of missing fur and amber eyes

Snowfeather- dirty white she-cat with blue eyes and scars coating her pelt

Swallowstripe- silver tom with dark gray tabby stripes and blue eyes

Addertail-mottled gray and brown tom with a ginger tail and yellow eyes

**Initiates** (toms and she-cats six moons and older in training to survive and become Followers)

None

**Providers **(she-cats expecting or nursing soon-to-be Initiates)

Ryefeather-pale cream and white she-cat with blue eyes, mother to Tigerleaf's kits: Runningkit (long-legged cream tabby tom with pale brown splotches and green eyes), Ivykit (dappled silver and white she-cat with yellow eyes), and Nettlekit (brown tabby tom with blue eyes)

Swiftpetal- white she-cat with a black underbelly and amber eyes, mother to Scorchfoot's kits: Foxkit (dark ginger tabby tom with amber eyes) and Smokekit (dark gray, almost black, tom with green eyes)

Skywhisper-silver she-cat with green eyes, mother to Buzzardstrike's kits: Aspenkit (silver and white she-cat; stillborn), Featherkit (dark gray tom; stillborn), and Silverkit (long-haired light gray tabby she-cat with a white chest and pale blue eyes)

STORMCLAN

**Leader:** Heatherstar-pale brown tabby she-cat with a white underbelly, a scarred muzzle, and amber eyes

**Deputy:** Cinderbreeze- mottled silver and gold tom with ice blue eyes

**Medicine Cat:** Sagecloud-tan colored tom with white paws, a very pink nose, and green eyes

**Trainee:** Streampetal- pretty white she-cat with green eyes

**Followers: **

Shadefeather-black she-cat with yellow eyes

Frostclaw- battle-scarred white tom with blue eyes

Embersplash-golden and black she-cat with green eyes

Graystreak-large dark gray tom with streaks of silver and amber eyes

Lionwing- golden tabby tom with amber eyes and a stub for a tail

Shrewfur-skinny brown tom with a nicked ear and green eyes

Acornwhisker-black and brown tom with unusually long whiskers and blue eyes

Patchtalon-dappled brown and white tom with amber eyes

Mosspelt-mossy colored she-cat with blue eyes and two scars on her face

Thornscar-white and ginger tom with scars coating his fur and cold yellow eyes

Beetleheart-black and gray tom with blue eyes

**Initiates:**

Boulderpaw-large gray tom with blue eyes

Honeypaw- golden tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Russetpaw-ginger she-cat with green eyes

Brackenpaw- brown tabby tom with golden paws and amber eyes

Blackpaw-small black tom with yellow eyes

**Providers:**

None

The warm Newleaf sun glowed through the cracks of the poorly made den, illuminating the sleeping figures that had somehow managed to squash themselves together so that they all fit inside. The three biggest cats were nestled neatly together while the forms of six wriggling kits were simply piled on top of one another with no concept of the term "personal space".

Silverkit blinked drowsily as one of her littermates shifted next to her and she mumbled something before trying to go back to sleep. However, just as she was starting to once again drift off, one of her friends rolled over and practically squashed her underneath him.

"Hey!" she squeaked as Runningkit's cream tabby fur found its way into her mouth and nose. Her tiny paws scrabbled for a grip on the hard mud ground and she heaved herself out from underneath the large tom.

Runningkit grumbled something inaudible and stretched out his long limbs in the space that was now vacant. Silverkit shook out her fur, not caring that it was probably all messed up from sleep. She sat down on her haunches and looked around the den to see who else was awake.

Her mother, Skywhisper, was curled up into a tight ball while Swiftpetal lay sprawled out next to Ryefeather. The three of them were all breathing steadily and she figured they were all in a deep sleep and wouldn't appreciate being woken up just yet.

Silverkit swung her large blue eyes to the other side of the den. Swiftpetal's kits, Foxkit and Smokekit, were practically lying on top of each other. Foxkit's ginger pelt contrasted harshly with his brother's dark gray one and Silverkit wouldn't have even realized they were related had she not grown up with them.

Seeing no signs of them wakening any time soon, she looked at Ryefeather's kits. Runningkit had now fully taken over her empty spot and his brother Nettlekit lay on his other side. They resembled each other immensely, except Nettlekit's brown tabby fur had not a dash of cream or white in it like his sibling's did.

And finally, Silverkit looked at Ivykit, the only other she-kit in the jumble of toms that occupied their sleeping area. Ivykit was one of her best friends, the closest thing she'd ever come to having a sister, and the one who was always beside her when they got caught trying to break the rules.

The white and silver she-cat was sleeping with her head tucked underneath her forepaw and her yellow eyes tightly shut. Silverkit padded silently over to her friend, struggling not to tread on anyone's tail. It certainly wouldn't end well if Swiftpetal was woken up before the time she usually emerged from the den. _That queen has to be one of the crankiest cats before sunhigh,_ she thought as she picked her way over to Ivykit.

She halted when she stood over her friend and poked the larger she-cat in the side with her small paw. Ivykit's eyelids fluttered but didn't open.

Silverkit rolled her eyes. "Ivykit!" she hissed as quietly as possible, prodding her again.

"Mmm…wha…?" Ivykit murmured, lifting her head blearily. It took a moment for her yellow eyes to focus properly. "Silverkit? Why are you awake?"

Silverkit gave her chest fur a few licks. "I couldn't sleep. And I'm bored. Do you wanna go explore?"

"Sure, let me just…." Ivykit's voice grew more distant as her eyes closed and she rested her head back under her paw. A heartbeat later, her breathing was once again deep with sleep.

Silverkit let out a small sigh and veered around her friend to stand at the mouth of the den. She peered outside and felt the usual spark of happiness that flared in her chest whenever she saw the beautiful pine forest. She stepped out into the brisk morning air, her ears pricked to catch as many sounds as possible.

The starlings that floated on the breeze were silhouetted against the pale blue sky and the callings of magpies filtered from the gnarled roots from which they perched. The ground under her paws wasn't as marshy as it usually was which Silverkit was grateful for. She loved everything about the forest except for the fact that the squishy mud would always somehow manage to get stuck in-between her toes.

She padded over to the tree closest to the den and craned her neck to look up at it. The twisted trunk stretched higher than anything she'd come across before and it seemed as if the thick tree itself was holding up the sky. She remembered asking Skywhisper what kind it was and her mother had told her it was an oak; a rarity in the territory they stayed in.

She walked closer to it and arched her back, pressing herself against its rough wood. _Do they have oak trees in BrokenClan territory? _she thought longingly. She stepped over one of its huge twisted roots and titled her head up at it. _In three sunrises, I might never see one again._ The idea of it shook her to her core.

Nearly six moons had passed since Silverkit had been born. Skywhisper told her that she was more or less around the same age as Swiftpetal's and Ryefeather's kits and that it didn't necessarily matter during Initiation.

"Age is nothing when you go into Initiation," her mother had stated once. "Just as long as you manage to pass, it doesn't matter how old or young you are."

"But won't older cats have an advantage?" Silverkit had protested. "What _happens_ during it anyway?"

Skywhisper had merely looked at her steadily and without blinking. She leaned her head down so that they were eye level with each other. "Silverkit, you know every cat is sworn to never speak of what goes on during your training. Just trust me when I say that age means nothing." The silver tabby had looked so grim that Silverkit had shut her mouth and let subject drop, even though every nerve inside of her was alive with curiosity.

A loud croak startled Silverkit from her memories and she whipped her head around to see a toad crouched a few tail-lengths away. Its attention was focused solely on a fly that buzzed over its head and didn't even seem to notice the small gray kit.

With a sudden urge that swept through her, Silverkit's blue eyes narrowed in on the frog and she slowly slithered forward, careful to not step on a twig. _Foxkit and Runningkit are going to be so jealous, _she thought joyfully. They were always teasing her that she could never be a hunter because she could hardly ever sit still. _This'll show them that I'm just as good as they are!_

However, the two kits teased her for a reason: Silverkit was not known for her patience and she already felt her muscles twitching while she tried to stay still. Her body ached to just pounce on the stupid frog but she forced herself to be calm and tried to recall how Swiftpetal had shown her how to hunt.

"Always make sure you're downwind," the white and black queen had instructed as she fell into a hunter's crouch. All six kits had watched in excitement as Swiftpetal demonstrated the proper hunting technique.

Now, Silverkit checked which way the breeze was flowing and thought it was blowing downwind. Satisfied, the gray tabby crept forward on silent paws and halted a tail-length away from the oblivious toad. She bunched her muscles and prepared to spring.

Suddenly, a leaf crackled and the brown frog's eyes grew wide and it immediately began to hop away at a dizzying speed. Silverkit watched it disappear before she turned around, furious. Foxkit and Runningkit stood side by side, eyes shining with amusement.

"Bad catch, Silverkit," Foxkit purred, his ginger tabby coat gleaming in the sunlight. "How does it feel to be outsmarted by a toad?"

"You did that on purpose!" she growled, anger burning through her. "I would've had it if you feather-brains hadn't scared it off!"

Runningkit let out a _mrr_ow of laughter. "It was just a stupid frog, Silverkit, lighten up."

Silverkit narrowed her eyes at the two toms, lashing her striped tail. "It wasn't just a stupid frog!" she wailed. "It would've fed one of us which means you just cost someone a piece of prey."

The glow from Foxkit's eyes dimmed a bit and he had the decency to look embarrassed. Runningkit, though, continued to look delighted. "Maybe if you were faster you could've caught it anyway." He came closer and wreathed around her. "But I think your legs are a bit too short for that."

A tiny ember sparked inside of her and she bared her teeth at the pale tabby tom. Runningkit was always teasing her and making fun of how she was the smallest out of all of them, even though _she _had been born first. "Shut up, Runningkit," she hissed, trying to not let him see that his words were affecting her. "Shut up or I'll claw your whiskers off."

Runningkit's dark green eyes sparkled with mischief and he crouched down in front of her, tail twitching back and forth. "I'd like to see you try," he taunted.

Silverkit let out a loud yowl and leapt at the tom. Runningkit dodged her attack and she spun around as soon as she paws touched the ground. She lashed out at him and caught him on the shoulder, causing him to grunt with surprise. Triumph coursed through her and she rushed at him, jumping onto his back and pummeling him with her hind legs.

Runningkit abruptly crashed to the ground and rolled over, almost crushing her with his weight. She gasped and tried to wriggle out from underneath him. The cream tom used his momentum to finish rolling and he pounced on her the moment he righted himself.

"Give up yet?" his green eyes filled with excitement. He was hardly breathing heavy at all.

Silverkit, meanwhile, was still trying to regain her breath and she struggled against his firm grip that held her down. "Never!" she spat, attempting to lash at his underbelly with her hind legs.

Runningkit cocked his head to the side. "Silverkit, I can assure you that you're in no position to be stubborn."

The gray tabby opened her mouth to let out a stinging retort but a shrill voice stopped her. "_What in the name of StarClan is going on here?_"

Runningkit hastily stumbled off of Silverkit as if he'd been burned, allowing her to scramble to her paws. She shook out her pelt to rid it of and clinging mud and raised her eyes to see Skywhisper stalking towards them, the others not far behind. Swiftpetal's amber eyes were filled with worry but Ryefeather simply appeared amused.

Silverkit glanced at her mother and saw tha Skywhisper's green eyes were blazing. She gulped loudly and her heart began to beat faster.

Skywhisper halted in front of them and Runningkit dropped his gaze to his paws, ashamed. "Just _what_," the she-cat meowed slowly, her words halting. "do you two think you were doing?"

"We were just playing," Silverkit insisted, trying to not let her nervousness show. Her mother rarely got angry, but Silverkit knew to stay far away when she did.

Skywhisper swung her sharp eyes around to glare at the gray kit. "Just paying?" she repeated flatly. "I will not have my daughter start fighting with someone for no reason!"

"He started it!" argued Silverkit. Even she could hear how whiny she sounded and she tried to make her voice not as high pitched. "I was about to catch a frog and then Runningkit and Foxkit scared it off."

"Is this true, Runningkit?" Ryefeather interjected, narrowing her eyes at the pale tom.

Runningkit was silent for a moment, his fur fluffed up against the daggers that Silverkit was shooting at him. Finally, he muttered, "Yeah."

"Honestly, I thought I'd raised you better than that!" Ryefeather huffed, rolling her eyes to the sky as if seeking assistance.

Silverkit felt smug, figuring that Skywhisper wouldn't be so hard on her now that Runningkit had confessed to provoking her. But when she glanced up at her mother, she was shocked to realize that the she-cat looked even angrier than before.

"And I thought _I'd_ raised _you_ better, Silverkit," Skywhisper hissed, tail lashing wildly back and forth.

The small kit's eyes widened in disbelief. "Why are you so mad at me?" she demanded, feeling injustice inflate inside of her chest. "I didn't even do anything wrong!"

Her mother snorted. "Didn't do anything wrong? Silverkit you attacked Runningkit because you couldn't control your temper! Okay sure, you lost the stupid toad, but you should not have been so reckless!"

"Skywhisper…" Ryefeather warned quietly, an edge in her voice.

Skywhisper rounded on her friend. "No Ryefeather, she needs to learn to control herself."

"For StarClan's sake she's just a kit!" Swiftpetal snapped, sweeping her tail around the four other kits who were now staring with wide, scared eyes at the scene unfolding before them.

"Which is why she needs to learn this now!"

"Learn _what_?" Silverkit asked desperately, just wanting her mother to calm down. "I'm sorry I attacked Runningkit, okay? I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I won't do it again."

The anger faded slightly from Skywhisper's gaze but in its place was something Silverkit had only seen once before when a storm nearly tore their den out of the ground two moons ago. Her mother looked…afraid. But why?

"Why am I in trouble?" she questioned pleadingly.

Skywhisper shook her head slowly. "You need to learn to control your temper, Silverkit," she murmured softly, beginning to back away. The fear was now more prominent in her features than before.

Silverkit scraped the ground in frustration. "But _why_?"

"Because your life depends on it!" Skywhisper shouted, starting to tremble. Ryefeather swiftly moved to her side and supported the queen whose gaze was now unfocused as she stared at something only she could see.

"Skywhisper, enough of this," the white and cream she-cat commanded, gently but firmly. "You're scaring the kits for no reason."

"But they need to know," Skywhisper whispered in a small voice. "They need to follow the rules. They need to protect themselves. I need to protect her…"

"Come now," Ryefeather meowed, wrapping her tail around her friend. She turned away and steered both of them back onto the path that led to the den. "You just need to rest; you've been under a lot of stress." Not a moment later they disappeared into the forest, leaving Swiftpetal and the kits stunned into silence.

"What was that about?" Smokekit asked softly, finally breaking the silence. His pale green eyes were confused.

"Nothing," Swiftpetal answered quickly, in a tone that warned them not to push it farther. "Skywhisper is just a bit stressed out because your Initiation is coming up."

Initiation. Silverkit knew very little about it, except the few bits she and Ivykit had pried out of Swiftpetal a quarter moon ago. She only knew that it was a series of intense trainings that went on for six moons and then the initiates would become loyal Followers of BrokenClan.

A brush of fur against her right side made her jump slightly and she blinked, bringing herself back to the present. Ivykit's yellow eyes were filled with simple curiosity. "Skywhisper really blew up on you," she meowed sympathetically. "Are you okay?"

Silverkit shook her off. Ivykit may have been her best friend, but she didn't want anyone's pity, no matter how well they meant. "I'm fine. Like Swiftpetal said, she's just tired and stressed out."

Ivykit looked at her for a moment longer before nodding once and moving on to a different topic. "I wonder what it's like, living away from your Clanmates for six moons."

"Come on, kits, it's time to head back!" Swiftpetal called to them. Silverkit realized that the white and black she-cat was herding Foxkit, Smokekit, Nettlekit, and Runningkit back onto the marshy path that led to the den. The queen looked back over her shoulder and beckoned with her tail. "Yes, that means you two as well," she added, amusement twinkling in her amber eyes.

"We're coming Swiftpetal," Ivykit replied and the two began to slowly follow the five cats back to the clearing where their shelter stood. After a few minutes of silence, the dappled white and silver she-cat unexpectedly asked, "What do you think it'll be like?"

Silverkit glanced at her in surprise. "What are you talking about?" she questioned, even though she knew perfectly well what her friend meant.

Ivykit rolled her eyes. "Initiation of course." She didn't say _duh_ at the end but she might as well have.

The gray tabby gave her white chest a few thoughtful licks before admitting, "I don't really know. They probably just train us in battle strategy and hunting."

Ivykit heaved a wistful sigh. "I can't wait until we're 'paws. Then it's only six moons until we become Followers!"

"What do you think it's like, having Clanmates?" mewed Silverkit, hopping over one of the thick roots from the pine trees. "Don't you think it'll be weird, staying in a place with so many cats?"

Ivykit pondered this before shaking her head. "I don't think so. I mean, we're all together," she pointed out. "What difference does it make if there are just a few more cats?"

"Yeah, but-" Silverkit stopped. Ivykit wouldn't understand her nagging uncertainty. Great StarClan _she_ barely understood it! Instead of continuing her previous sentence, she commented, "I wonder who's going to train us."

"Ohhh, do you think they'll be a great big scary warrior?" Ivykit wondered in a hushed voice, her eyes wide. "With a really horrible name like Scarblood or something?"

Silverkit let out a trill of laughter and bumped her friend playfully with her shoulder. "Scarblood, Ivykit? I highly doubt someone would name a cat something that terrible."

"Hey, you never know," Ivykit protested defensively. "No one except the Followers know what goes on in Initiation, so anything's possible." She lowered her voice until it became throaty and spooky. "They'll probably make us hang by our tails for five sunrises without any fresh-kill and then make us swim across the river!"

Silverkit knew her friend was being ridiculous but she couldn't help the tendril of icy fear that slithered down her spine. She tried to shove it away but the thought could not be forgotten so easily. And on top of that, the uncertainty from before came rushing back to her at full force.

In three sunrises, she and the rest of her denmates would be leaving the comfortable and beautiful forest behind for something none of them knew hardly anything about. What was waiting for them beyond this peaceful territory? What was she going to do without the lovely tress guarding their den, or the irritating yet familiar feel of the squishy mud under her paws?

Silverkit had no idea what awaited them after they left the protection of the trees. She had not an inkling of what the training was going to involve or what was going to take place during the six long moons ahead of them. But there was one thing Skywhisper had told her once, something that Silverkit knew with utter certainty she had to achieve.

She had to pass Initiation, no matter what.

**So, according to scientists, there's something on this page that lets you record your thoughts so that the author can read them. You see that little button that says 'Review' on it? Yeah, apparently if you type something in the box and then click it, everything you typed will be sent to me! **

**I myself don't know if it's true or not, but why don't you give it a try to see if those fancy-shmancy know-it-alls are right? Go on…you know you want to…;) **


	3. Chapter two

**Thanks to those who reviewed. You have no idea how much it means to have your support. Well, you probably do because everyone loves to have awesome reviewers…it just sounded like the right thing to say XD**

**Lloinng: lol you'll just have to wait and see what happens!**

**NoReaSoN2CaR3: Yep, the scientists were right, surprisingly. Congrats, you just made history! ^-^ thanks for testing it ;)**

**Born Of True Destiny: I know can you believe it? The scientists were right for once! Lol and thanks, but I can't help but think she's kind of like Echowing in a way XD**

**Whisperbreeze: lol Thanks and yeah, Silverkit and Ivykit are pretty adorable :3**

**Rosietx: Oh wow, thank you so much! I don't really know what to tell you…I just focus a lot on adding a lot of small details so that it all comes together better. And instead of just saying "Skywhisper was a light gray tabby", I add descriptive words such as "the faint light from the moon shown down on the she-cat, turning her already silver fur lighter" or something like that. If yo ever need help, just ask! **

**Honeyshine: hmm…you are the only one who noticed that. But alas, I cannot spoil anything for you! *dramatic sigh* you'll just have to keep reading!**

**Oh and here's the link to a forum created by Thistleface: forum/FunClan/125089/ Be sure to check it out if you want since I told her I'd share it with you all :)**

**Now, onto le chapter 2! :3**

The morning of the kits' Initiation dawned with pale pinks and yellows, the faint rays all but covered by the thick gray clouds that hung low in the sky. A strong breeze whipped the branches of the trees around violently and blew dead leaves high into the air.

Silverkit sat just inside the den while the walls and the slight overhang provided some resistance against the howling wind. Ivykit, who crouched beside her, was looking out with narrowed eyes. "Do you think it's a sign?" her friend asked nervously.

Silverkit winced as the wind pounded hard against the den. "I doubt it," she responded, dismissing her own misgivings with a flick of her ear. "Who could possibly send a sign anyway?"

Ivykit glanced at her, confused. "Well StarClan, of course!"

The pale gray tabby stared at her friend. "You don't actually think there's such a thing as dead cats living in Silverpelt, do you? It's just a story that old cats tell to feather-brained kits sometimes."

"Oh, so now you're calling me a feather-brain?" gasped Ivykit in mock indignation.

Silverkit let out a purr and dropped into a crouch, her tail swishing playfully over the ground. "Yeah, I am!" she growled, her blue eyes gleaming mischievously. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Ivykit bunched her muscles and prepared to spring but before she could do anything more, Smokekit yowled, "They're back!"

Silverkit blinked and turned her head in the direction the dark tom had pointed with his tail, spotting Skywhisper and Swiftpetal padding towards the den with their jaws stuffed with fresh-kill. Her stomach rumbled loudly in anticipation, causing Ivykit's whiskers to twitch in amusement.

"Come on, let's eat outside!" she mewed, springing to her paws and dashing out of the shelter. As soon as she left the den, however, a sharp gust of wind nearly swept her off her paws and she dug her claws into the compact dirt while trying to stay upright. Her long fur swirled all around her, growing tangled from the breeze.

With all the effort she could manage, Silverkit spun around and dashed back to the den a tail-length away. She tumbled inside and plopped onto her haunches, noticing that everyone was looking at her.

"Or we could just…eat in here," she mumbled, her pelt heating up. Her embarrassment caused Ivykit to start purring.

Skywhisper and Swiftpetal finally reached them and they both dropped their prey onto the ground before the kits. Silverkit's mouth began to water as the musky aroma of voles and magpies reached her nose and she immediately dashed forward and snatched one of the latter ones.

She turned to Ivykit and meowed as well as she could round the fresh-kill, "Do you wanna share this with me?"

Her friend nodded eagerly and they crouched down together, devouring the magpie in rapid bites. Runningkit was gobbling a plump vole down along with Foxkit while Nettlekit and Smokekit were quietly nibbling on another. Ryefeather and Swiftpetal had each taken a magpie but Skywhisper simply sat staring at her prey without making any move to eat it.

"Skywhisper, why aren't you eating?" Silverkit asked after swallowing a huge mouthful of her own fresh-kill. She got to her paws and padded over to her mother, halting right in front of the magpie. She bent to sniff it curiously, wondering why the silver tabby wasn't eating. "Is something wrong with it?"

Skywhisper flicked her daughter with her tail. "Of course not. I'm just not hungry at the moment."

Ryefeather glanced at the she-cat from where she lay beside Swiftpetal. "Are you feeling okay?" she murmured, her blue eyes full of concern.

"I'm perfectly fine," Skywhisper answered casually. "Like I said, I'm just not hungry."

Ryefeather narrowed her eyes at the she-cat but let the subject drop. Silverkit tilted her head to the side as she looked at her mother, just now noticing how tired she looked. Her shoulders were drooping slightly and her green eyes were weary as they continuously shifted to the entrance of the den like she thought something might be lurking there.

Wanting to distract Skywhisper from whatever anxious thoughts were running through her mind, Silverkit mewed, "Can you tell me about my father?"

Just as she predicted, Skywhisper's gaze snapped to where she stood and now her eyes were wary. "Why do you want to know about him?" she questioned slowly, suspiciously.

"Because you hardly ever speak of him and I wanna know what he's like."

A hush fell over the den and Silverkit could feel the glares of some of the other kits searing into her fur. She knew, along with everyone else, that knowing about her father was strictly forbidden. Just like no one could speak of what happened in Initiation, the queens were sworn to never tell their kits who their mate was. Silverkit and the others always grumbled how ridiculous this was but none of them had ever made a move such as flat out asking.

From the corner of her eye she saw Ryefeather and Swiftpetal exchange a glance, but she couldn't decipher the meaning behind it because it happened so fast. Instead, she returned to looking up at her mother who was now fidgeting uncomfortably. "Silverkit, you know none of us are supposed to tell any of you about your fathers."

Silverkit unsheathed her claws and dug them into the ground. "I _know_ that, Skywhisper," she meowed in exasperation. "But why does it matter? We're going to meet the rest of our Clanmates at sunhigh anyway, right? What does it matter if we just knew a little about our fathers before we were actually introduced?"

"Silverkit, I know how you feel, alright?" Skywhisper gave her chest fur a few quick licks to steady herself before continuing, "I understand how unfair it is that you don't get to know your father and I wish I could tell you everything about him. But there is still so much you haven't learned yet, do you hear me? Once you start Initiation you'll be taught all about the rules of the Warrior Code and then you'll see why I can't tell you about him."

"But-"

Skywhisper held up her tail to cut off her protests. "I'm sorry, Silverkit. But I just can't tell you anything about him. Now, why don't you all try and get some rest before we leave?"

"But I'm not tired!" argued Runningkit.

"Yeah, neither am I," Ivykit agreed.

"Skywhisper's right," Swiftpetal mewed, stretching her jaws in a wide yawn. "I think we should all try and sleep. It's a long walk back to BrokenClan territory and you don't want to be exhausted before we even get there, do you?"

The six kits shook their heads and reluctantly began to get ready for a nap. Nettlekit and Smokekit scraped away the remains of all the prey and tossed them outside where the wind would take care of it. Runningkit curled up into the middle of Foxkit and Ryefeather while Ivykit sprawled out next to Silverkit who was laying close next to Skywhisper. Their fur brushed whenever either of them shifted and soon enough, her mother wrapped her tail around both Ivykit and Silverkit and pulled them closer.

Silverkit didn't think she would be able to sleep with Initiation looming ever closer. Her mind was abuzz with nervous energy and wouldn't seem to shut up. _Who's going to train us? What are the tests like? How do they train us? _Dozens of the usual questions fluttered around and she hated that no one ever provided an answer for any of them.

She moved around to try and get more comfortable while trying not to wake Ivykit who had, miraculously, fallen asleep. She felt a tail rest gently on her shoulder and she opened her blue eyes to find Skywhisper looking at her warmly. Her mother blinked slowly as if trying to tell her with her eyes, _It'll be okay._

But how could it when Silverkit didn't know what waited for them? How could it possibly be okay if she left the beautiful pine forest and she never saw the oak tree again? Would she ever be able to come back here?

"I'm scared," she whispered, so softly it was almost inaudible. She hated admitting it, but she couldn't help how she felt. She wasn't looking forward to Initiation; didn't ever want to leave the cocoon of peace the nine of them had woven together over the past six moons.

"I know," Skywhisper murmured, shifting so that she could lick her daughter on her head. "But you're strong, Silverkit. Stronger than I'll ever be."

Silverkit shook her head. "I don't believe that."

"It's true." A faraway look came into Skywhisper's eyes as she was taken to somewhere only she could see. "I was terrified of going into Initiation when I was a kit. I think everyone is, at some point. No one can be fearless when they're facing something they know nothing about."

"But you survived," Silverkit pointed out quietly. "You were strong enough to pass."

"Yes, I was. Not so much physically but mentally. Initiation makes you find out just how far you can be pushed before you break. It's not so much of just having the strength to pass the tests, but also the will to survive."

Silverkit stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt her mother when she was finally opening up and breaking the rules to talk about Initiation. She knew it was kind of selfish to let Skywhisper keep going, keep breaking the Code, but she couldn't help it. She craved the knowledge her mother was providing her and besides: Her curiosity could never be tamed.

"I barely made it," Skywhisper continued. "From the moment you start, it's always a make it or break it situation. You have to be on your guard at all times. You need to find one cat who is your ally, one you can trust with your life, as soon as possible. They're the only one you can trust, Silverkit. You need to have each other's backs."

Silverkit couldn't help it, even though she was risking that Skywhisper would stop talking. "Who was your ally?" she asked.

Skywhisper blinked as if pulling herself back from the past. She gazed at Silverkit steadily for a long moment before finally saying, "He was my closest friend. He knew more about me than I did myself. He's the one that pushed me to my limits, some of which I didn't even know existed. He knew I had the ability to pass Initiation." Her green eyes grew clouded. "He protected me and I protected him. He's the one who was there for me when I felt like giving up. He's the reason I passed."

"What was his name?" Silverkit whispered in a hushed voice, eyes wide.

"Sparkpaw," her mother answered, her voice even quieter than Silverkit's had bee. "It was a fitting name. He always had so much energy and was ready for anything. He was brave and had the kindest heart…"

"Wait." Something Skywhisper had said struck Silverkit as odd. She narrowed her eyes, dreading the answer. "You said his name was Spark_paw_. Why does he still have his Initiate name if he's a Follower now?"

Sorrow flittered across her mother's pretty features and she put her head on her paws, closing her eyes. She swallowed hard once, twice, before murmuring, "Because he never made it past Initiation."

Silverkit's hard skipped a beat and ice cold horror froze her limbs. Her jaw gaped open and she didn't even bothering to snap it closed. "B-but…" she spluttered. "H-how did he not pass? Everyone passes Initiation, don't they?" It was a stupid question, one she already knew the answer to especially since Skywhisper had just told her that Sparkpaw hadn't made it to becoming a Follower. But she wanted her mother to take it back, to prove her wrong.

"No Silverkit," Skywhisper breathed. "Not everyone passes. That's why you have to promise me you'll do whatever it takes to make it to a Follower. Do you understand? _Anything."_

Silverkit shivered at the ominous words but meowed, "I promise."

Skywhisper visibly relaxed and she let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Good." She opened her eyes a bit and focused on her daughter. "I love you, you know. No matter what happens."

Silverkit pressed closer against her, trying to erase the cold Skywhisper's words had brought. "I love you too."

They faded into silence for a while before something occurred to Silverkit. "Skywhisper?" she asked, turning her head to the silver tabby who look as if she was almost asleep.

"Mmmm…?"

"Was Sparkpaw your brother?"

Skywhisper let out a faint purr, so low Silverkit could barely hear or feel it. "No, young one. He was just a tom who stole my heart."

Silverkit pondered this as Skywhisper finally fell asleep. Her mother had been in love with another Initiate and then had lost him. She felt deep sympathy for the queen, knowing Skywhisper had never truly gotten over losing Sparkpaw. Did she realize that she had been in love with him before or after he failed Initiation and she had to go on without him?

The questions were exhausting. And even though Skywhisper had answered some of them, it just seemed to evoke dozens more until they pressed down on Silverkit with their weight. Frustration sparked in her chest and she was irritated that no one could ever just simply answer her questions without speaking in code or riddles.

Grumbling to herself, Silverkit curled up into a tight ball, laying her tail tip over her pink nose. She forced herself to breathe deeply and steadily to calm her racing heart so that she would be able to rest. With the jumbled mess in her head, she was certain it wouldn't come. But sure enough, as soon as her heartbeat slowed, she felt herself drifting off.

It wasn't long before blackness took over and she felt herself fading into the familiar darkness that only sleep could bring.

**OoOoO**

"Silverkit! Wake up you sleepy fur ball!" A paw prodded her in the side and she groaned in protest before rolling over. Another poke, this one much sharper than before, made her blue eyes snap open and she lifted her head to glare at the cat that awakened her.

"Why are you waking me up?" Silverkit hissed, the heavy fog in her head not yet fully lifted.

Ivykit stood over her, amusement in her yellow eyes. "Well, we're all leaving for BrokenClan territory and I thought you would've wanted to go too. But if you'd rather sleep…"

Her drowsiness evaporated like water in the Greenleaf sun. She leapt hastily to her paws, stumbling a bit clumsily into the side of the den before fully regaining her balance. "We're leaving now?" she exclaimed, licking a forepaw and rubbing it quickly over the side of her face to try and smooth down her ruffled fur.

"It's sunhigh," Ivykit explained, her tail twitching anxiously. "And I suggest you hurry because we all kind of overslept and we're running a bit late."

Silverkit finally gave up on trying to make herself look presentable, knowing that it took a long time to fully clean her long fur. _It's not like I'm trying to impress anybody, _she reminded herself as she followed her friend out of the den to where the others were waiting. _I doubt our trainers are going to even notice if my fur isn't properly sleek anyway._

The gray tabby she-cat stepped out into the bright Newleaf sun, enjoying the way the rays warmed her pelt and illuminated the whole forest. She spotted everyone standing by the oak tree in one loose group and realized that she had been the last one to be woken up.

Smokekit and Foxkit were practicing last minute battle moves that Swiftpetal was demonstrating while Skywhisper was in a heated conversation with Ryefeather. Nettlekit was crouched down at the base of the tree, his eyes wide open and his left ear twitching nervously on its own accord. Runningkit was pacing back and forth in front of his brother, claws tearing into the ground as he muttered to himself. It seemed as if everyone was on edge.

Silverkit felt her heart began to beat harder and faster in her chest as the whole situation finally smacked into her. This was _it._ It was time for Initiation and they were leaving the pine forest to travel to BrokenClan territory where they would become Initiates.

She scanned the trees around her, desperately soaking up every single piece of the forest that she could. This was her home, where she had spent her entire kithood, and she loathed the fact that she would probably never see it again. When she became a Follower, would she remember the way the marsh felt under her paws? Would she remember the abundance of different sounds that floated on the wind, or how every single tree was unique in its own way? Would she forget the way the den leaned a bit too far to the right, the clearing where she and her friends had learned their first battle and hunting moves, the way that even when it was cold out the inside of their shelter was always warm with the heat of all the bodies snuggled together?

Would she fail to remember how much fun she'd had or all the reasons why she loved the forest?

_No,_ she vowed, _I will never forget any of this. And I will come back, someday. _

"Okay, are we all here?" Ryefeather called, getting to her paws as Swiftpetal herded her kits over to the rest of the group. The oldest queen assessed all of them, her stormy blue eyes full of tenderness and…pain?

What?

However, before Silverkit could dwell on it, it disappeared so fast that she wasn't sure if she'd even seen it to begin with.

The three she-cats stood together in a line as they faced the six kits. Swiftpetal looked like she was ready to burst with worry while Ryefeather's tail tip twitched back and forth. Skywhisper's shoulders were slumped wearily and her eyes were grim but determined. They were all quiet for a moment before Ryefeather started to speak.

"We just want you to know that we're all so proud of you," the white and cream queen meowed, looking from one to the other. "No matter what choices you make."

Swiftpetal picked up where she left off. "We love all of you as our own and nothing will ever change that."

Ivykit leaned against Silverkit and she pressed reassuringly back. She knew that even though they were from different litters, they were just as close as if they had been born sisters.

"These next six moons will be the hardest you will ever endure," Skywhisper stated gravely. "You must always be on your guard and you will have to push yourselves farther than you thought possible. I'm sorry, but we can't explain anymore. But whatever you do, you must try your very hardest to pass Initiation, do you understand?"

Silverkit nodded along with the others and met her mother's eyes. Their conversation from just a little while ago came rushing back to her and she couldn't suppress a shudder of apprehension. She knew just how dire Skywhisper's warning was and she hoped the others would heed it even though they had no idea that not everyone made it through.

"Never forget that we love you," added Ryefeather.

"We'll still see you though, right?" Smokekit questioned, paws beginning to tremble.

"Of course you will," Swiftpetal assured him. "But it doesn't ever hurt to know that you're loved."

"Are we going now?" Runningkit demanded, sheathing and unsheathing his claws impatiently.

Silverkit rolled her eyes, though she had to agree with him. She knew the queens were just trying to prepare them in their own way but she really wanted to just get this over with. The sooner Initiation started, the sooner she was on her way to becoming a Follower-and even though she reminded herself that Initiation was going to be terrible, she couldn't help but feel a thrill of adrenaline-laced excitement course through her.

Ryefeather turned around and flicked her tail before beginning to lead them on their way. Nettlekit, Smokekit, and Foxkit dashed forward eagerly to run ahead while Silverkit, Ivykit, and Runningkit were content to walk next to Skywhisper and Swiftpetal.

"How far away is BrokenClan?" Silverkit asked to no one in particular. She veered around a stray holly shrub, recalling how Skywhisper had warned her about how the berries were poisonous.

Swiftpetal glance down at her. "It's actually not that far in reality. We're heading to the river and from there we just follow it to the Clan territory." She let out a soft _mrr_ow of amusement. "I remember walking from it during leaf-bare when we were all pregnant with you kits. It was horrible! I thought my paws were going to fall off, it was so cold. Trust me it felt way longer coming here than it probably will as we're going back."

Silverkit thought about this before mewing, "Why did you have to leave the Clan anyway? Why does it matter if you gave birth to us in BrokenClan territory or here?"

Skywhisper shook her head. "Silverkit, you ask way too many questions for your own good."

Silverkit felt a little insulted at this. "I'm just _curious_," she huffed, dropping her eyes to her paws.

"Too much curiosity is not always a good thing," her mother stated flatly.

Silverkit's fur began to bristle but she forced herself to calm down. Skywhisper was always saying things like that, always reminding her that she had to learn to control herself. In a way, she understood where her mother was coming from. But still-it didn't mean she had to _like_ being scolded.

"Well _I_ for one don't care about insignificant things like that," Runningkit drawled, his long legs making him nimble as he leapt over a tree root. Silverkit cursed the fact that he hardly ever stumbled or tripped over his own paws. "I just want to be the greatest Follower ever!"

Ivykit bumped him with her shoulder. "Someone's ambitious," she teased. "Don't forget you have to pass Initiation first, feather-brain."

Runningkit scoffed and flicked an ear dismissively. "That'll be easy. Soon I'll be a Follower and be able to fight those mangy StormClan flea-bags!"

Silverkit rolled her eyes at the arrogant tom. "Oh please, you don't even know what a StormClan warrior looks like, much less how to fight one."

He scowled at her through narrow dark green eyes. "You just wait, Silverkit. One day I'll be leader and then I'll be able to say _I told you so_."

"Yep, BrokenClan would just _thrive_ under your ruling," she remarked dryly, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "That is, if you allowed any of your hunters to actually catch fresh-kill without being a jerk and scaring all of the prey off."

"That's enough you two," Skywhisper interrupted sharply. "I swear I spend more time yelling at the both of you than I do any of the others."

Silverkit glared at the cream and brown tabby tom and wanted to claw the smug look off of his face. It took all of her control to turn away and ignore him, even though her paws itched to cuff him on his big head.

She noticed Ivykit's yellow eyes twinkling mischievously and she snapped, "What?"

"Nothing," her dappled friend replied, even though it was obviously anything but.

"No offense, but I hate your brother," she growled quietly so none of the others could hear.

"You'll warm up to him eventually," Ivykit responded confidently, as if she had seen the future and knew with utmost certainty that this was true.

"Yeah, and lizards will grow wings and start to fly," Silverkit muttered, rounding a corner.

Whatever Ivykit was about to meow was lost in the loud, pounding noise of rushing water. Silverkit's eyes grew wide as they emerged from the forest and came across the roaring river that swirled just a few tail lengths from them. She had seen it once before, when Swiftpetal had taken them all to learn about it, but she'd forgotten how beautiful it was.

The wind caused humongous waves to rise and fall while foam lapped at the smooth stones that lined it. The water itself was a light blue that grew darker in certain areas and mist sprayed out in huge bursts. It was magnificent and powerful and Silverkit figured being an Initiate would be perfectly fine as long as she could come down and simply stare at the river for a while.

"Be careful here!" Skywhisper called, raising her voice to be heard over the roaring current. "Watch where you put your paws!"

Silverkit picked her way cautiously over the slick shore of pebbles and rocks, following in Swiftpetal's pawsteps and placing her own only where the queen's had been. Ivykit padded behind her and when she glanced back, she realized they were all walking single file along the path.

She noticed Ivykit's scared eyes and trembling body and she yelled over the noise, "It's okay, Ivykit! Just put your paws where I do and you'll be fine."

Ivykit gave her a terse nod, indicating that she'd heard. Silverkit turned forward again and focused on following her own advice. She liked the way the pebbles felt under her paws, how different the smoothness was compared to the muddy ground back near the den. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all. _

After a while, the ground became wider and Skywhisper led them off of the pebbles and onto hard, compact ground. Tall thin plants sprouted up in random spots and some were a bright green while others were brown and dead.

"What're those?" she asked as soon as they were all walking normally again. She pointed with her plumy tail to the strange plants.

Ryefeather looked to where she was gesturing. "Oh, those are reeds. You'll see a lot of those in BrokenClan territory, they're practically everywhere."

"Can we eat them?" Foxkit questioned, stopping to give them a sniff. He recoiled in disgust. "Ew, they smell awful!"

Swiftpetal's whiskers twitched in amusement. "That isn't the reeds you smell, Foxkit. That's the scent of BrokenClan. This is part of the border that stops StormClan from crossing into our territory."

Silverkit opened her jaws to taste the air and almost gagged on the horrid scent wafting in the air. It smelled fishy with an underlying layer of musk that made her want to sneeze. She prayed that the camp didn't spell as disgusting as the borders did, or she might just have to throw herself into the river.

A thought suddenly struck her. "Why do they mark the border? Shouldn't the actual river just be what divides both of the Clans?"

Skywhisper glanced at her in approval. "That's a good question, Silverkit. The founder of BrokenClan wanted the river to be the only border but StormClan argued that if a cat were to get caught in the current but was able to swim, they could just drag themselves up to the BrokenClan or StormClan shore to rest."

"So it's like this on StormClan's territory too?"

Skywhisper nodded and meowed, "Both Clans agreed that they would give up three tail-lengths of their territory in case such a situation ever occurred."

"But technically this strip of land is BrokenClan's though, right?" Silverkit persisted. "Because you said yourself that they use the river to catch their prey so that would mean that they think the three tail-lengths are theirs or else they wouldn't cross it to catch fish."

"The three tail-lengths of land belong to both Clans, Silverkit," Ryefeather explained.

"But…" her voice trailed off. She didn't know how to explain how absurd this all seemed to her, since she could barely sort through her mess of thoughts much less try and put them into coherent statements.

Skywhisper padded forward and stepped through the scent clinging heavily to every plant and tree within reach. She showed no sign that the stench affected her and Silverkit figured her mother either was used to it after all her time in the Clan, or she was just extremely good at hiding her thoughts. Ryefeather and Swiftpetal followed the silver tabby without hesitation and Foxkit, Smokekit, and Nettlekit rushed forward as well.

Silverkit stood next to Ivykit and Runningkit was on the other side of his sister. "Can you believe we're finally here?" she whispered, half awed and half twitching with unease.

"No," Ivykit admitted. "It doesn't feel real."

"Are you guys ready?" Runningkit asked, looking at the two she-cats. His dark green eyes were excited but Silverkit thought she detected a hint of anxiety in them.

She took a deep breath, trying not to choke on the thick BrokenClan scent. She closed her eyes for a moment before reopening them and glancing back at the churning river. After a long look at it she faced forward and nodded, feeling her determination and resolve harden. She could do this. She _would _do this. She hadn't come all this way to back down right before Initiation even started.

"Let's go," Silverkit meowed, moving towards the bed of reeds while trying not to let her fear show.

Then, with all the willpower she had, she lifted her paw and stepped over the border and into BrokenClan territory.

**Dun dun dun…so what did you think? Don't worry, I'm going to start writing the next chapter soon because I'm really getting into this story. :) review please!**


	4. Chapter three

**Thank you everyone for those who reviewed! I'm so glad you all like the story as much as I do! :D And oh, one of my lovely reviewers reminded me that I have yet to give out plushies! DX DX DX how could I forget that?**

**Wingbreeze: yeah, Silverkit needs to learn how to not let her temper and curiosity get the best of her…anyway, thanks for reviewing! Which plushie would you like?**

**Guest (Honeyshine): you know, you're the only person who realized that this is loosely based off of the Divergent series. (I love that series by the way) Congratulations! I was wondering if anyone was going to figure it out ;) just for that and the awesome review you left AND the fact that you reminded me of the plushies, you can have three! Which ones would you like?**

**Silverstorm13: here's the next chapter, and I love your pen-name by the way! Which plushie do you want?**

**Whispered Nightmares: O.O wow, thank you so much! And yeah, I have a bad habit of not rereading every chapter before I post them and so I don't realize the grammar and spelling errors until AFTER I post it XD XD anyway, just for your awesome review, which plushie would you like dear?**

**Smigle Loco: Lol thanks :P plushie?**

**Anonymous: why thank you random person I don't know the name of! :) le plushie perhaps?**

**Born of True Destiny: Well, here's the chapter you've been waiting for! Which plushie would you prefer?**

***checks reviews* and that's it :D remember to tell me which plushie you want! Now, onto the story!**

Silverkit hissed in annoyance as her paws sunk into the soggy ground, the dirt all muddy from a tiny pool of water that had probably been there since it last rained. The tips of her belly fur were splattered with the brown gunk and she kept having to stop and flick off the mud from between her paws. She was learning the hard way that the ground in BrokenClan territory was unpredictable and that a cat had to keep a close eye of where they put their paws, less they end up like her.

"Come on, Silverkit!" Runningkit teased from where he and the others stood on solid ground. "What's taking you so long?"

Silverkit ignored his taunting and stomped through the mud, giving up on any attempt to keep herself clean. _If they wanted me to look presentable, then they shouldn't have allowed me to walk over here in the first place, _she grumbled silently. After a few more moments of hopping from one paw to the other, she finally dragged herself out of the wet dirt onto hard, compact ground.

"Are you done investigating?" Skywhisper asked, her eyes narrowed as she took in her daughter's dirty paws and brown belly fur. "We should've been at the camp by now."

Silverkit looked away, feeling her ears heat up with embarrassment. Why did it seem like it was always her fault when something didn't go as planned? She followed her mother meekly, glaring at the reeds that were indeed, as Ryefeather had said, everywhere.

They looked strange to her, unnatural after all her moons in the pine forest where the only plants were shrubs and bushes. The long spindly stems reminded her of a spider she'd come across once and she couldn't help but imagine that they were waving her way, beckoning her forward into the unknown and jeering that she would never make it.

Or maybe it was just her anxiety-wired mind imagining things.

"Are you okay?" Ivykit murmured in concern from right behind her. "You're shaking."

Silverkit forced her paws to stop trembling and waved her tail casually. "I'm fine." She could tell that her friend didn't believe her but she didn't care. At the moment, her heart was pounding in her chest and butterflies had taken flight in her stomach at the looming prospect of Initiation that got ever closer with each pawstep.

To distract herself, she scanned the area around them and with a jolt she realized that there were hardly any trees surrounding them. She felt exposed without the cover of the leaves and she prayed that there would at least be one oak tree to remind her of home.

Finally, after what seemed like seasons of walking, Skywhisper slowed down and held up her tail for the others to halt. Silverkit and the others crowded around the silver tabby and she craned her neck to see what had stopped her mother. Or rather, _who_ had stopped her.

Standing in front of them was a huge tomcat whose dark brown pelt was covered in scars and his tail was wrapped around his large paws. Flanking him were two others and Silverkit's wide eyes were immediately pulled to the larger one.

His golden fur was sleek and shiny but that's where the attractiveness stopped. His left ear was completely shredded and one of his fangs was twisted gruesomely, hanging out of the side of his mouth even though his jaws were closed. Silverkit's gaze traveled up until she met his cold blue eyes and realized that he was looking straight at her. His icy eyes were hard and held no warmth that she could find. She abruptly dropped her gaze as a drop of fear skittered down the length of her spine.

Trying to push thoughts of the intimidating tom away, Silverkit turned to look at the last one who happened to be the only she-cat. She let out a small sigh of relief when she noticed that this cat had none of the scars or horrible markings as the other two did. In fact, the she-cat looked absolutely normal. Her solid dark gray pelt was only broken by her snowy white tail-tip and her green eyes were guarded but held a certain warmth that the golden tom's didn't have.

Silverkit was startled out of her thoughts when Skywhisper spoke. "Greetings, Ceaderstar," she meowed, dipping her head respectfully to the heavily scarred dark furred tom.

"Skywhisper, Ryefeather, Swiftpetal," Ceaderstar replied in a deep voice. "It's good to have you back after so long."

Ryefeather nodded. "We're glad to be back," she answered, her blue eyes blank and giving nothing away.

Silverkit shifted closer to Ivykit and her movement caught Ceaderstar's attention. His yellow eyes snapped to where she stood in between Ivykit and Smokekit and he let out a purr. "And I see you have all given birth to a bunch of fine, healthy kits. Would you please introduce me to them?"

It was a command hidden in the form of a question and the fur on Silverkit's shoulders began to rise. Was this cat used to ordering others around? She opened her mouth to speak but Skywhisper's tail touched her flank and she knew her mother was warning her to be quiet.

"This is my daughter, Silverkit," Skywhisper told him. She pointed to Smokekit and Foxkit. "These are Smokekit and Foxkit, sons of Swiftpetal." She finished with the last three. "And these are Runningkit, Ivykit, and Nettlekit, kits of Ryefeather."

Ceaderstar assessed all of them and Silverkit tried not to fidget when his eyes lingered on her for a moment before moving on. She knew he had noticed the way she'd opened her mouth, ready to snap at him. "Greetings young ones. I am Ceaderstar, leader of BrokenClan, and this is Sunfang," he announced, gesturing to the golden tom. "And this is Dovestone." He waved his tail towards the dark gray she-cat who nodded once.

"I know you're all probably eager to meet the rest of your Clanmates, but first you must all become Initiates and get your new names, understand?" He waited until all the kits had nodded before continuing, "After you get your Initiate names, you will follow me to the camp where you will be introduced to everyone else. Since this is your first day of becoming an Initiate, the only things you will be learning today are the rules of the warrior Code and the things you are forbidden to do during Initiation. Any questions?"

Even Silverkit had the common sense to stay silent.

Ceaderstar waited a moment before nodding. "Very well. Now it is time for you to get your new names. All of you step forward."

The six kits broke away from the group and padded forward until they all stood together in a semi crooked line before the three cats. Ivykit trembled against Silverkit and the gray tabby pressed hard against her, wanting to reassure her friend that everything would be okay even though she knew it wouldn't be.

Ceaderstar lifted his muzzle to the sky and began in a loud voice that resonated into her very bones, "Spirits of the fallen, I call upon you to look down on us on this wondrous day that signifies that BrokenClan can overcome everything and will continue to thrive. Now is the time for these six cats to become Initiates and learn the ways of your noble Code. I ask that you watch over them as they train with each other in the next six moons and then become Followers."

Silverkit swallowed hard. Ceaderstar's words sent a chill through her when he mentioned that they would all become Followers. _Liar._

The brown tom waved his tail. "Foxkit, step forward."

The ginger tabby tom's amber eyes grew wider and he scrambled out of the line to stand before the BrokenClan leader. His tail was twitching excitedly back and forth and Silverkit felt a pang of unease. Foxkit was oblivious to the fact that he was taking part of something that had a very high chance of not ending well. But she couldn't do anything, seeing as she wasn't allowed to tell anyone about what her mother had said.

"From this day forward and until you prove that you have what it takes to become a Follower of BrokenClan, you will be known as Foxpaw." Ceaderstar touched his muzzle to Foxpaw's head for a moment before pulling back. Foxpaw stood there for a heartbeat as if he couldn't believe what had happened before stammering a thank you and backing away to the sidelines.

"Smokekit, step forward."

And so it continued until Smokekit became Smokepaw, Nettlekit became Nettlepaw, and Ivykit became Ivypaw. Soon, it was only Silverkit and Runningkit left standing together; the new Initiates were crouched by Sunfang and Dovestone and the queens hadn't moved from where they sat.

Ceaderstar's yellow eyes flashed from one kit to the other before he finally commanded, "Runningkit, step forward."

Silverkit watched as the cream and brown tabby stalked forward, his head held high and his eyes showing no sign of the nervousness that all the others had. His long legs took him to the leader in only two strides, where he halted and gazed at the scarred tom.

"From this day forward and until you prove that you have what it takes to become a Follower of BrokenClan, you will be known as Runningpaw." Ceaderstar rested his muzzle on Runningpaw's head and the new Initiate dipped his head before padding over to join the others.

"And finally, Silverkit, please step forward."

Silverkit inhaled a shaky breath, and couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at the scent the draped over the three cats. The disgusting BrokenClan aroma was as heavy as moss and she hated the fact that she would soon smell as horrible as they did.

She stopped right in front of Ceaderstar, acutely aware of her mud-caked paws and brown belly fur. She hopped no one else would notice.

As if right on cue, however, Sunfang chose that moment to finally speak. "Why are you all dirty?" he growled, his tone accusing. She glanced at him in shock and found tried not to stare at the way his twisted tooth moved jaggedly when he talked.

"I was walking and accidentally stepped in mud," Silverkit responded, lifting her pale eyes to meet his dark blue ones.

"Accidentally, huh?" he repeated, skepticism etched all over his gruesome features. "Were you not watching where you put you paws? You _do _know what mud looks don't you?"

Silverkit narrowed her eyes, her fur starting to bristle. She knew that he was just egging her on, trying to get a reaction out of her, and she could feel Skywhisper's gaze searing into her pelt from behind. She could almost hear her mother's warning: _Control yourself._ But Silverkit had never been good at keeping her mouth shut.

"Of course I know what it is!" she retorted. "How else do you think I could identify what I'd stepped in? This may surprise you but BrokenClan isn't the only territory that gets rain which, as I hope you know, causes mud."

"Silverkit!" Skywhisper reprimanded harshly. "Hold your tongue!"

Silverkit's ears drew back flat against her head and she gritted her teeth as her fur erupted into flames. She hung her head, ashamed that she'd snapped at an older cat. It didn't matter that Sunfang was probably a fox-heart; he was her elder and she needed to respect that, if anything.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"Ah, you have the spirit of a warrior," Ceaderstar meowed, his yellow eyes expressionless so that she couldn't tell if he meant that in a good way or a bad way. "You are impulsive and you will need to learn to control yourself if you plan on making it to a Follower, is that understood?"

Silverkit nodded dejectedly, digging her claws into the ground to stop her _impulsive_ self from adding a few more scars to the tom's muzzle.

"Then back to what you are here for. From this day forward and until you prove that you have what it takes to become a Follower of BrokenClan, you will be known as Silverpaw." He leaned forward and placed his muzzle on her head. She struggled not to choke on the horrible smell and she was incredibly grateful when he pulled away and she could join her friends.

Silverpaw slid up in her usual place beside Ivypaw who glanced at her worriedly. "You really shouldn't have talked back to Sunfang like that," she whispered under her breath so no one else could hear. "It was a dumb move."

"You don't think I know that?" she hissed.

Ivypaw opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Ceaderstar. "Now that you have all officially become Initiates, it's time that you meet the rest of your Clanmates. Follow me." He flicked his tail before spinning around and heading in what Silverpaw assumed was the direction of the camp.

Sunfang and Dovestone flanked him while the Initiates hurried to catch up. Skywhisper, Ryefeather, and Swiftpetal brought up the rear and they were all silent as they were led onto a winding path that seemed to stretch on forever.

Silverpaw tried to take in her surroundings so that she could learn her way around the territory, but everything-even the stupid mud on her paws-was just so unfamiliar to her that she quickly gave up. She felt a brush of fur on her left and glanced up to find Runningpaw padding beside her.

"You do know that Sunfang was just trying to get a rise out of you, right?" he questioned in a voice so quiet she could barely hear it.

"Yes and thank you for implying how stupid I am to have disrespected him," she spat. She honestly didn't need _Runningpaw _of all cats trying to start up a conversation at the moment.

"Stop putting words in my mouth," he hissed, narrowing his dark green eyes at her. "I was just going to warn you to be careful about what you say. We're not kits anymore, you know."

Silverpaw rolled her eyes. "I really don't want or need your concern, Runningpaw. As you just said I'm not a kit anymore. I can take care of myself, thank you very much."

"Forget it," Runningpaw mumbled, scowling. "I don't even know why I try."

"That makes two of us," she stated flatly. They descended once more into silence as Ceaderstar abruptly stopped in front of a huge bed of reeds with a rotted, hollow tree trunk sticking from out of it.

"This is the entrance to the camp," he announced, jerking his head to indicate the huge log. "Since this is your first time entering it, you six will be the first to go through and then we will follow. So, who's up?"

Silverpaw looked around at her five friends and spotted Nettlepaw staring with wide, scared eyes at the tree while Foxpaw and Smokepaw gazed at their paws. Ivypaw was nearly hyperventilating and Runningpaw was giving his chest fur a couple of licks to stall himself.

The gray tabby turned her attention to the bed of spider-like reeds and the intimidating tree trunk. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest and she told herself to calm down. It was only a tree for StarClan's sake! But the more she thought about, the more she recognized that it was all just based on perspective. As soon as she emerged from the other side of the trunk, her Initiation would begin and there would be no turning back; but if she didn't walk through it, then there would be nowhere she could go and then there was no doubt she'd never become a Follower.

Silverpaw's fur itched uncomfortably and she glanced around to find Skywhisper looking at her with steady green eyes. Her mother's gaze was tender and she felt warmth wash away the chill that had been in her heart since she had first woken up that morning. Skywhisper believed in her, so that means she just had to believe in herself.

Not waiting a moment longer in case she lost her nerve, Silverpaw broke away from the other Initiates and headed towards the entrance of the tree trunk. She hesitated only a heartbeat before she shoved her way into the darkness and began to make her way through.

The unfamiliar dead bark felt strange under her paws and her whiskers caressed the sides of the tree as she blindly moved forward. She had never been surrounded by something so small and it made her breath hitch. Did this tunnel ever end?

Suddenly, she spotted a circle of light and the quickened her pace, nearly sprinting the last few lengths of the tree. She burst from the darkness and into the rays of sunlight, gasping for breath. She shook her whole body to get rid of the claustrophobic feeling and it took her a minute to notice all the cats staring at her.

Silverpaw blinked as the faces of a dozen or more cats came into focus. They were all standing around her and yelling with raised voices. She flinched, thinking they were shouting at her, and then figured out that they were actually cheering…for her.

Before she could fully take it in, a flash of silver and white tumbled out of the tunnel and landed with a squeak. Ivypaw ducked her head in mortification and slowly got to her paws. She looked around and her yellow eyes widened as the BrokenClan cats began cheering for her as well.

Ivypaw caught sight of Silverpaw and raced over to her. "We made it!" she exclaimed breathlessly, bouncing on her toes like a kit. "We're finally Initiates!"

Her excitement was contagious and Silverpaw soon found herself praying that the actually training would start soon. She and Ivypaw watched as Runningpaw came barreling out of the tree, soon followed by Nettlepaw, Foxpaw, and Smokepaw. Ceaderstar and the others were close behind and before she knew it, the cheering had died down and the BrokenClan leader was now taking charge.

He padded across the camp to where a tall tree leaned so far to the left that its long gnarled branches nearly touched the ground. Its roots were almost completely out of the ground, as if it had been savagely ripped from the nurturing soil, and the blackened bark was peeling in an abundance of places. Silverpaw thought it was the saddest thing she'd ever seen.

So she was incredibly stunned when Ceaderstar leapt onto it and started climbing up, unexpectedly agile for such a huge, compact cat. The late afternoon sun shone down on his dark pelt, silhouetting his broad shoulders and illuminating every single one of the many scars that covered his body.

"Cats of BrokenClan!" he called, standing regally on one of the higher branches. "I am pleased to announce on this day that we have six new Initiates that will be training to learn the ways of the Warrior Code. Since they are most likely a bit overwhelmed, I want all of you to try and make this transition as easy as possible for them. Do not be afraid to introduce yourselves to them."

Then, Ceaderstar fell off the tree.

Well, _fell_ wasn't exactly the right word, since that would imply that he'd actually lost his balance; in reality, he simply let go of the branch and shifted his weight so that he plummeted straight towards the ground.

Silverpaw gasped in terror and opened her mouth to scream because surely, no cat could survive a drop that far. But just as she was sucking in a breath, the brown tom twisted deftly in midair and landed on all four paws, only staggering slightly at the impact. He immediately straightened up and padded over to where a smoky gray tabby tom sat a little bit away as if he had not just had a near-death experience.

"W-what…?" Ivypaw spluttered, eyes as big as moons.

Silverpaw shook her head slowly, knowing that her eyes were undoubtedly as huge as her friend's. "I don't know."

"Did he really just…?"

"I think so."

"But how did he…?"

"I have no clue."

"Huh…"

"Yeah."

Runningpaw glanced from Silverpaw to his sister and back again before meowing, "If the two of you are done finishing each other's thoughts, I think Ceaderstar's waiting for us to join him."

Silverpaw blinked and turned her attention to look at the pale tabby tom, noticing that he gave no sign of the disbelief she and Ivypaw felt. His dark green eyes were wide, yes, but they were filled with admiration and…longing?

"You saw that too right?" she asked warily, uncertain all of a sudden.

"Um…yeah, obviously." He shot her a weird look. "I think it's pretty cool. I hope we get to learn how to do that."

_Great, now they're all going to be throwing themselves out of trees,_ she thought, spotting the way Foxpaw was murmuring to Smokepaw with both of their eyes shining in excitement.

"Initiates!" Ceaderstar yowled impatiently, his fur starting to rise. "Are you here to learn or are you here to talk? I don't have time to watch you gossip!"

Silverpaw bristled at his tone, the unfair accusation in his voice that they were already slacking. He had seemed so dignified standing on the gaunt branches of that tree, his eyes sweeping over them proudly, and yet now he simply looked imposing and irritated.

"I guess we better go to him, before we get into even more trouble," Nettlepaw meowed, his left ear once again starting its nervous habit of twitching on its own accord. Out of all of them, Silverpaw knew that he was the most fragile one. His blue eyes were wide with distrust and they shifted over all of their new Clanmates as if he would rather be anyplace else than right there.

_I know how you feel,_ Silverpaw told him silently. Even though she despised the fact that Ceaderstar was practically commanding them to go over to him and that dark, smoky gray cat who sat poised beside him, she had to agree with Nettlepaw.

As Runningpaw enthusiastically led them to where the BrokenClan leader-no, _her_ new leader-was, Silverpaw hung back slightly so that she was beside Nettlepaw. She kept enough distance between them that their fur didn't touch but close enough so that he knew that she was there.

After a heartbeat of silence, she murmured, "It's gonna be okay. We're going to pass Initiation and then we'll be Followers."

Nettlepaw stared at her with those skeptical eyes, quiet for a moment. "You don't know that," he finally responded, even though she could hear how desperately he wanted to believe her.

Silverpaw cocked her head to the side, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully. Maybe she wasn't the only one who had figured out that Initiation would be more than any of them bargained for. "How'd you find out?" she asked, surprised. _I thought I was the only one who knew, _she thought bitterly, feeling an unexpected flash of envy. She abruptly pushed it away, disgusted with herself. Was she really jealous of not being the only one who knew how horrible the next six moons would be?

Nettlepaw glanced away, scanning the clearing where all of their new Clanmates were sprawled, chatting animatedly or sharing tongues with one another. "It wasn't really that hard," he muttered, lowering his gaze to his paws. "I mean think about it. Every season new kits are born and then become Initiates. If every single one becomes a Follower, the camp should be pretty much overflowing by now.

"I mean sure," he added, "Cat's grow old and die and stuff but when you really stop and think, the number of cats in BrokenClan should be at least three times the size of this!" He savagely jerked his head, gesturing to their Clanmates.

He swung his muzzle back around to face her, his blue eyes fearful and calculating and she wondered how in StarClan she never noticed how observant he was. He lowered his voice and said softly, "So what happens to the rest?"

Silverpaw felt her blood turn to ice and she stared at him with wide, pale blue eyes. She knew the answer to his question or course, had known it since Skywhisper had told her about Sparkpaw (had it really only just been that _morning_?). She knew what happened to the Initiates that failed Initiation: They were exiled, banished from the Clan and Clan territory to go live by their selves in the unknown land that stretched for miles in every direction. Sent to try and survive on the barren, unpopulated terrain with not an inkling of what horrible creatures were out there, filled with shame and stripped of any honor they once had.

Silverpaw swallowed, struggling to calm her racing heart. "Nettlepaw, it doesn't matter what happens to the ones who fail," she meowed forcefully, trying to convince herself as much as him. "All you have to concentrate on is passing. The ones who don't pass don't matter."

Nettlepaw held her gaze for a moment, his eyes holding a spark of faint amusement as well as sorrow. They looked moons old, as if he had seen terrible things despite only just getting out of kithood that day. "Don't they though?" he murmured, almost inaudible.

Silverpaw broke eye contact and picked up her pace. "No, they don't." She lengthened her stride until she had reached Ceaderstar and the others. Nettlepaw arrived a moment later, once again back to his old twitchy self with no sign of what they had just discussed.

_They don't matter, _she repeated, over and over again while trying to focus on what Ceaderstar was saying. _They don't matter. _

But she couldn't help the small shiver that took hold of her and dark feeling of dread that crept on the out skirts of her mind. _They don't matter._

Right?

**Da-da-da-DA! The end of chapter three! (: review my lovelies! And remember to tell me what plushie you want!**


	5. Chapter four

**You know, after I posted the last chapter, I left my computer for only 2 hours and when I came back I saw that I had, like, 11 or 12 new reviews. So, I did what any normal, completely **_**rational**_** person would do: I leapt up from my chair, grabbed my old fat cat who hates being picked up, and started dancing around my room while singing to her. **

**I have to thank you guys; only you amazing people could bring out my quirky side so easily. :D :D :D :D Now what time is it? PLUSHIE TIME!**

**Rosietx: NAAAH! YOU DID NOT ASK FOR A PLUSHIE! DX oh well, tell me soon though since you deserve one :) and yeah, Silverpaw is really easily annoyed by little Runningpaw ;)**

**Whispered Nightmares: Don't worry; I'll be adding plenty of more details about the camp. :D I'm really incredibly grateful for you reviews and here's your Runningpaw plushie *throws him* **

**FlyingSteps: Lol yeah, I hate Mary-Sue characters and you're right: A lot of cats with the prefix Silver- are usually super perfect or have so many flaws, do everything wrong, but still end up saving the day. I, my friend, will try my best to not make Silverpaw or any of my characters like that. Here's your plushie! *throws Silverpaw***

**Honeyshine: thanks for you review and your questions will be answered in due time…*ominous music* O.O anyway…here are your plushies! *throws them***

**Windbreeze: Yeah, I love the Divergent series. :) here's a little Sparkpaw to keep you company! *throws le Sparkpaw plushie***

**ShoutFinder: which plushie would you like O Great One?**

**Smigle Loco: hmm...interesting theory…but I don't think they'll be together, sorry. I think Nettlepaw's too…fragile for Silverpaw. And here's your plushie *throws her***

**Fallen Dewdrops: Thanks for pointing that out! And which plushie do you want?**

**Born of True destiny: Thanks! Here you go! *throws Nettlepaw***

**lloinng: lol thanks and here's your plushie! *throws Nettlepaw***

**And also, would you all go check out ShoutFinder's story **_**Daughter of the Sun**_**? It's a really great and original story and I'd appreciate it if you gave it a shot. :)**

**Now, onto the chapter!**

Silverpaw was not one for mornings. Especially when she was jolted awake a while before dawn after having a fitful night of sleep and hearing a loud voice yowl, "Initiates! You have one minute to wake up and get out into the camp before I drag you out!"

The light gray tabby groaned in protest and covered her ears with her paws. The mutters of her denmates surrounded her and she heard crackling as they shifted in their nests of moss and ferns.

"INITIATES!" the voice screeched again and this time Silverpaw's pale blue eyes snapped open.

She blinked blearily and tried to stand up. Still half asleep and having no idea what was happening, she scrambled out of her own nest and ended up tumbling onto the ground with a muffled squeak. Grumbling curses that certainly would've earned her a scolding by her mother, Silverpaw stumbled blindly through the dark den towards the entrance. She could barely make out the shapes of the others as she followed them outside into humid night air.

"Whas goin on?" Ivypaw slurred from beside her, not looking any more awake than she felt.

Silverpaw shook her head in an attempt to lift the heavy fog that clouded her mind. "I dunno."

The crescent moon hung low in the indigo sky, giving off a faint waxy sheen of light that allowed her eyes to adjust better so that she could actually see where everyone was. Smokepaw was slouched against Foxpaw and it appeared as if the ginger tom was actually holding up his brother while his own amber eyes were glazed with sleep. Nettlepaw ran a paw over his face and shook out his pelt while Runningpaw was stretching luxuriously until his whole body quivered with the effort.

That's when she noticed the others.

There were three of them, all standing in a line a few tail-lengths from the Initiates, and Silverpaw immediately recognized the same smoky tabby tom who had been sitting beside Cedarstar the day before. The tom had stayed as silent and still as one of the stones that bordered the camp while the BrokenClan leader had shoved a painful amount of information and rules into them and explained the laws of the Warrior Code.

On the left side of him was a small gray-black she-cat Silverpaw hadn't seen before, her cold blue eyes gleaming with malice and her pelt matted and unkempt. The pale gray Initiate shivered slightly and turned her attention to the she-cat on the other side of the tom. Her pale golden fur was dappled with cream colored splotches and her yellow eyes were even and guarded. Silverpaw caught a glimpse of the she-cat's tail and noticed that it looked as if it had been brutally bitten in half by a savage creature and had healed jaggedly and improperly.

_Why do almost all of these cats bear such horrible scars? _Silverpaw wondered, eyes wide. _Is this what Initiation does to us?_ She didn't have much time to dwell on this new question, because just then the tabby tom in the middle opened his mouth to speak.

"The amount of time it took for you all to get out of your nests was far below average," he growled in a deep voice. His pale blue eyes scanned the group of Initiates before him, unimpressed. "However, since this is your first day of actual training and as you have not yet become accustomed to waking up before sun-high, I will look the other way this time."

He began to pace in front of them and Silverpaw's eyes followed his every step. The moonlight turned his smoky fur to a dark gray, accenting his broad shoulders and the faint tabby stripes that coated him. Powerful muscles rippled under his pelt and a gleam of his ivory claws shone.

"But let me warn you that today I am being kind," he stated, his hard eyes cutting over them. "I will not be so lenient in the future so I suggest that you get used to waking up this early or else there will be consequences."

Silverpaw tried to bite her tongue but couldn't stop herself from exclaiming, "But it's not even dawn yet!"

The tom's eyes snapped to where she stood and he halted in mid-pace. He turned in her direction and stalked towards the gray tabby and shoved his muzzle right up to hers. She flinched involuntarily but kept her gaze steady.

"What is your name, Initiate?" he hissed, eyes narrowing.

"Silverpaw," she responded quietly, her voice shaking despite her efforts.

"Well, Silverpaw, it seems like you need to learn a lesson in respect." His stare raked over her disinterestedly and Silverpaw felt like she was being scrutinized. She was sure that he was finding every flaw he could in her small build and unused muscles. As if to prove her point, he added, "You seem awfully tiny…are you sure you're six moons?"

Resentment flared in her stomach. If there was one thing she hated more than Initiation, it was the fact that someone always judged her on her size. "I'm older than all of them!" she retorted indignantly, waving her tail towards her friends. "If anyone's old enough to be here, it's me!"

The tom gazed at her for a moment, a spark of interest coming to life in his eyes. He tilted his head curiously to the side. "Who is your mother, Initiate?"

Silverpaw blinked, surprised by the unexpected question. "Skywhisper."

His ears pricked a bit at this. "Really?" he mused. "Interesting…"

Silverpaw was about to ask just _what _was so interesting about it when one of the she-cats, the dark gray-black one with the matted pelt, sneered, "Buzzardstrike, are you going to spend the whole day talking about useless information or are we actually going to do some training? I didn't know you were so lazy as to procrastinate."

The tom-Buzzardstrike-whipped his head around to glare at the she-cat. "It seems as if the Initiates are not the only ones who need to learn respect," he spat. "We will begin training when I say so, Mallowshade, not you."

Mallowshade stiffened, as though insulted. "Just because you're the deputy doesn't mean you get to decide everything that goes on during this Initiation, Buzzardstrike."

"Actually, I do," Buzzardstrike pointed out, his fur rising off of his shoulders. He seemed to either have forgotten or dismissed what had just occurred.

Silverpaw pressed closer to Ivypaw who she could feel was trembling fear. She felt her own anxiety grow when Mallowshade took a few steps closer to the deputy, cold eyes flinty. The Follower looked as if she was about to let out a stinging retort when the other she-cat interrupted.

"Mallowshade," the golden and cream warrior warned in a low voice. "Remember who you're talking to. Cedarstar made him deputy for a reason and if he's in charge of training, then we must respect that."

Mallowshade merely flicked an ear in the direction of the she-cat, continuing to bristle and bare her teeth at the tom. "Why should we have to listen to this fish-brain, of all cats?"

Silverpaw heard Buzzardstrike growl low in his throat and she saw him unsheathe his claws. She could tell that he was on the verge of clawing Mallowshade's eyes out and he took three strides until he was nose to nose with the she-cat. "You forget your place, Mallowshade. Cedarstar put me in charge and no one else. Have you failed to remember the very first rule of the Code?"

Silverpaw's mind whirled and she easily recalled the first thing Cedarstar had told them. _A leader's word is law. In a situation of failure to remember, this crime is punishable by death. _She dug her claws into the damp ground and prayed to StarClan that Mallowshade would back down. She could already tell she wasn't going to like the Follower, but that didn't mean she wanted to see anyone die.

In seemed like seasons passed as Mallowshade and Buzzardstrike were locked in a silent fight for dominance, their eyes narrowed and hackles raised threateningly. Finally, the dark gray-black Follower lowered her gaze submissively and stepped back, her scowl aimed at the ground.

"That's what I thought," meowed the deputy, his voice smug and arrogant. That's when Silverpaw realized that Buzzardstrike had known he would win, that Mallowshade would've backed down eventually. _Is Cedarstar the only one he bows down to?_

Buzzardstrike glanced back at where the Initiates were huddled with wide eyes before rolling his eyes and snapping, "Come on, we've wasted enough time." Without waiting for anyone's reply, he stormed away from them and across the camp towards the rotted log and patch of reeds that they had come in through the day before.

After a heartbeat of silence, Mallowshade swung her head and glared at them. "Are you all just going to stand there the whole day or what?"

Her harsh tone startled the Initiates out of their daze and soon they were all jostling forward in a hasty attempt to follow the she-cat. Runningpaw pushed ahead with Foxpaw and Smokepaw eagerly at his heels. Silverpaw padded more slowly, her apprehension growing strong with each pawstep.

She felt a nudge from behind and looked back to see the golden and cream warrior with the half tail. Her yellow eyes flashed but they held much more warmth than either Mallowshade's or Buzzardstrike's and Silverpaw felt her nervousness melt away a tiny bit.

"Hurry up, young ones," the she-cat murmured softly.

"Where are we going?" Nettlepaw demanded, his ear beginning to flick habitually.

The Follower shook her head. "You'll find out soon enough."

Silverpaw gazed around at the quiet BrokenClan camp as they all walked quickly through the middle of it towards the entrance. The rapidly lightening sky illuminated the assorted stones and rocks that outlined a rough circle and if she squinted she could make out the shape of the huge dead tree that Cedarstar had jumped off of yesterday. She now knew that there was a hole in the side of it near the ground where the brown tom claimed his den. _How in StarClan does a cat sleep inside of a tree? _she wondered. _It's so…unnatural._

Swiveling her head to the left, she spotted the large form of the Follower's den that leaned heavily on one of the biggest boulders. Dead leaves, twigs, and mud had all been clumped together countless moons ago to create the shelter in which the majority of BrokenClan resided at night. Nearby laid a shallow pond of stagnant water that Skywhisper had told her had been for as long as she could remember.

The Medicine Cat den where BrokenClan's healer, Mintwhisker, and her trainee Tawnyflame made their place was the smallest of all the dens. Silverpaw figured it had been the most hastily made one as well, from the looks of the poorly scraped together mass of dry ferns, reeds, and mud. None of them had met either of the two she-cats yet, much to the despondency of the gray tabby Initiate. She'd wanted to become acquainted to the few cats that weren't part of violence and didn't crave bloodthirsty battle.

And lastly, the Initiates' den stood hunched all by its lonesome self in the back of the camp, the farthest part from the entrance as possible while still claiming to be part of the Clan. It was covered in nighttime shadows and the yawning mouth of it sent a shudder through Silverpaw. She wondered if she would be able to sleep tonight in that intimidating cavern.

"Silverpaw!" Ivypaw hissed sharply, startling her out of her thoughts. She blinked and realized that she was standing right at the opening of the rotten log while Nettlepaw, Ivypaw, and the mysterious golden-cream she-cat stood watching her. "Are you going through or what?"

"O-oh," she stammered, her ears heating up. She ducked her head in embarrassment before adding, "Sorry," and shoving herself through. She hurriedly dashed through the tree trunk, her heart beating faster as the same claustrophobic feeling enveloped her once again.

_It's just a log, feather-brain._ Yet no matter how many times she repeated it in her mind, it didn't eliminate her fear of the walls pressing ever closer until they suffocated her with their overwhelming presence.

She picked up her pace until she was racing through it and she abruptly burst forth into the BrokenClan territory, her sides heaving with her gasps. She shook out her long, tangled fur, wanting to rid herself of what had felt so real.

Not a moment later, Nettlepaw's lithe body emerged, his dark blue eyes looking calm and collected-the complete opposite of Silverpaw. His ear was still flicking but he didn't seem to be experiencing the anxiety pulsing through her or the nausea churning in her stomach.

Ivypaw was next with the unknown warrior after and the dappled silver and white Initiate was peering at her with faint amusement in her yellow eyes. "Scared of a dead tree, Silverpaw?" she teased.

"Come on you three, follow me. We're already far behind and if we waste any more time there'll be a price to pay," growled the golden and cream warrior, already sprinting away from them and deeper into the marshy territory.

They obeyed and soon Silverpaw was no longer now gasping for breath as she and her friends struggled to keep up with the harsh pace the Follower had set. The sky was rapidly growing lighter and pale grays and yellows could be seen through the bare, skinny trees that dotted the land.

Silverpaw stumbled over a root that was hidden by a clump of reeds and she let out a hiss of pain before continuing on and trying to ignore her now throbbing paw. _I hate this place, _she thought bitterly as the thrumming of their pawsteps drowned out the sounds of the awakening animals. _We don't belong here._

The Follower took a left turn and slowed her stride, holding up her tail to indicate the others to do the same. Silverpaw looked around curiously and noticed that they had arrived in a clearing that was surrounded by many more of the same gnarled, gaunt trees that they'd just passed while running.

She brushed against Ivypaw as the three followed the she-cat into the clearing where Buzzardstrike was pacing once again and Mallowshade was aggressively sharpening her claws on one of the trees. Runningpaw, Smokepaw, and Foxpaw were slouched against one another, their eyes wide and gleaming with undeniable excitement.

The smoky gray deputy caught sight of the four cats and halted, swinging his pale gaze onto them in a cold glare. "Larkwing," he snarled, directing his words to the golden and cream she-cat who steadily held his glower. "What were you doing that took you so long to follow us here?"

Larkwing dipped her head in respect, her mauled tail still and her composure placid. "Nothing, Buzzardstrike," she answered, her tone cool but blank of any trace of emotion.

Buzzardstrike eyed her for a moment as if deciding whether to believe her or not. After a heavy silence, he nodded tersely once and jerked his muzzle towards Silverpaw and the other two.

"Since you've now had the pleasure of joining us," he meowed contemptuously, "I'll repeat what I was telling the others. Today you will be tested on how much physical power and strength you have to determine how hard you need to work to improve, is that understood?"

After they nodded, he waved his tail and motioned for them to stand by Runningpaw, Smokepaw, and Foxpaw. Larkwing stepped back and Silverpaw padded after Ivypaw with Nettlepaw right behind her. Only when all six of them stood side by side did Buzzardstrike continue talking.

"I will choose one of you at a time to go up against Mallowshade while Larkwing and I watch." His pale blue eyes flickered around and he began to purr at the sight of the horrified looks he received. "Since this is your first ever training exercise, she will go a little easy on you."

Silverpaw stared at him, appalled. He seriously wasn't going to make them fight against that brutal she-cat with learning battle moves first, was he?

As if echoing her thoughts, Runningpaw made a noise of protest and exclaimed, "You're joking right?"

"Yeah, we're not actually going to fight are we?" Smokepaw added, his voice raised an octave. "I mean, we don't even _know _how to fight!"

"Enough!" Buzzardstrike commanded in a threatening growl. "I have never met such cowardly Initiates before. This is what it means to be a part of BrokenClan and if any of you are too mouse-hearted to be a part of it then I suggest you get over it unless you wish to face the consequences! Do you hear me?"

Stunned into silence at the callous words, Silverpaw could only blink in surprise. _This is what it means to be in BrokenClan. _His words swirled around in her mind and threatened to overtake her. Even though she had braced herself for this-well, as much as one could after being sheltered for six moons-she was still shocked by the cruelness of it all.

But instead of her fear turning into full blown terror like she expected, the only thing she felt was her determination hardening. So while Nettlepaw shook beside her, she concentrated on taking slow, even breaths and tried to calm her heart rate.

"So, the first one who will be up is…" Buzzardstrike turned his head slowly and let his gaze slide languidly over all of them, taking his time. Silverpaw knew he was enjoying taking his time. Finally, his eyes landed on Foxpaw. "You."

The ginger tabby tom stood rigid for a moment before he scrambled forward, almost tripping over his paws in his eagerness to get to the center of the clearing. Buzzardstrike flicked his tail and the rest of the Initiates moved back so that they were right in front of the thin, twisted trees. Larkwing slid up next to the deputy who sat on his haunches and wrapped his tail over his paws, eyes expressionless.

"Begin."

Mallowshade wasted no time in bunching her muscles and springing into the air towards Foxpaw with a loud caterwaul. The ginger tom barely dodged out of the way before the gray-black she-cat landed in the sandy ground. The Follower immediately spun around, her eyes slanted into slits, her tail lashing back and forth.

She charged Foxpaw again and this time lashed out with a lightning-quick paw, catching him clear across the shoulder and causing a yelp of pain to come from him. Silverpaw spotted blood pooling from where Mallowshade had swiped and she gasped with a sudden realization:

_Mallowshade was fighting with her claws unsheathed._

She glanced at Buzzardstrike to see if he would yell at the warrior for not going easy on the Initiate-but he merely sat with his spine erect, his chin held proudly, and his pale eyes watching the whole scene unfold with such intensity it sent a feeling of dread through her.

She jumped when Foxpaw let out a yowl as Mallowshade knocked his legs out from under him and sent the ginger tom rolling. She pounced on him and he blindly lashed out, miraculously managing to catch the she-cat on the face with his claws.

Mallowshade grunted in surprise before pummeling his back savagely with her hind legs. Foxpaw writhed underneath her, desperately trying to get back up, and with a fierce cry he reared onto his hind paws and shook Mallowshade off. The warrior tumbled off of him and he leapt at her with his claws outstretched.

But seasons of battle training coursed through Mallowshade's veins and her instincts took over. She dodged swiftly out of the way but instead of lashing out, she charged forward and collided head-on with Foxpaw.

They fell to the ground in a writhing heap and soon the ginger tom left his belly exposed long enough for Mallowshade to rake her claws across his soft stomach over and over again. Foxpaw screamed in agony and struggled in vain to get out of her grip.

Silverpaw shuddered in abhorrence and shoved her muzzle into Ivypaw's shoulder, unable to continue watching. The Initiate's cries seemed to last for moons until finally Buzzardstrike instructed, "Stop."

Silverpaw lifted her head to see Mallowshade hop off of Foxpaw with a smug look on her ugly features and she dug her claws hard into the earth. It took all her willpower to stop herself from leaping at the she-cat and ripping her throat out.

Silence covered the clearing like a thick pile of moss and it was only broken by Foxpaw's small whimpers of pain. Silverpaw had brace herself as she dragged her eyes to where the Initiate lay, unable to stop herself from gasping out loud at the sight of him.

Foxpaw lay on his back with his head lolled to one side, amber eyes glazed with pain, and his stomach was left exposed. She heard Nettlepaw suck in a sharp breath of air and Ivypaw began shaking.

There was blood-so much of it that it coated his fur until none of the ginger coloring could be seen. Bile rose in her throat but she forced herself to keep looking, forced herself to see the dozen gashes Mallowshade had made along the whole length of it. His tail twitched feebly and his chest was rising in quick, shallow breaths.

Suddenly, a broken cry emitted from Smokepaw and the dark gray tom stumbled towards his brother, eyes wide with fear. "W-what have you done to him?" he shouted, dashing to where Foxpaw hadn't moved from. "You killed him!"

Mallowshade snorted. "Oh please, don't be so dramatic. He's still breathing isn't he? Yes. So that means he's alive." She curled her lip in disgust at Foxpaw's ravaged body. "You should be lucky I went easy on him."

The sound of protest that had been building in Silverpaw's chest suddenly burst forth in a loud yowl. A fire or fury exploded inside of her and her anger quickly erased all thoughts and warnings of caution as she stalked out of the line towards the gray-black she-cat.

"_Easy on him?_ You did not go easy on him!" she shrieked, bristling. "You nearly shredded him alive!"

Mallowshade rounded on her with blazing eyes. "Shut up, you stupid kit!" she spat, tail lashing. "I could just as easily have killed him but I let him live!"

Silverpaw ignored the warning voice ion her head that screamed at her to stop and to just get back in line. The injustice of the whole situation was just too much to keep silent about. "You clawed him to pieces! We don't battle train with unsheathed claws-that's just insane! What honor have you gained from beating a cat who just became an Initiate one sunrise ago?"

Mallowshade shoved her muzzle a whisker-length from the gray tabby's and hissed, "Watch yourself, kit. Or I'll make sure to do worse to you than I did to him."

Silverpaw held the Follower's cold gaze, her rage making her careless about how much trouble she was getting herself into. Infuriated anger roared through her and her small frame started to tremble slightly from the unusual fury that ravaged its way through her. She wanted to claw the smirk off of Mallowshade's face-needed to vanquish that superior gleam in her eyes.

She leaned forward until their breaths mingled and meowed, "Do it."

And even though she was ready for it, Silverpaw was shocked at how much power Mallowshade's compact body held as the warrior rammed into her without a moment's hesitation. She shrieked in alarm as she was knocked off her paws and fell towards the ground.

She landed hard and the impact made her see stars for a heartbeat; but then Mallowshade was on top of her slicing her back with her claws. Silverpaw writhed viciously and the she-cat loosened her grip long enough for the gray Initiate to wriggle out like a fish. She immediately spun around to face Mallowshade, her sides heaving up and down.

She spared a quick glance around and realized that Runningpaw and Smokepaw had managed to move Foxpaw' body out of the middle and towards the sidelines where the others stood watching.

She barely turned her attention back to Mallowshade in time to see the gray-black Follower rushing towards her again. She dodged out of the way and lashed out, letting out a hiss of triumph when she felt her claws tear through fur and open up skin.

Mallowshade rounded once again and crouched down, her tail lashing slowly back and forth while she and Silverpaw began to stalk each other in a circle, waiting for the time to attack again.

Silverpaw's legs burned and her heart beat wildly as her lungs gasped for air. She knew she wouldn't be able to go on much longer, knew that her underused muscles and the fact that she understood hardly anything at all about fighting were by far huge disadvantages. Plus, with her anger gradually diminishing, she doubted she could stay on her paws much longer.

_You stupid idiot! _she screamed at herself as she watched Mallowshade slowly advancing while she took a step back. _Why did you let yourself get into this position? When are you going to learn to think?_

Her eyes darted pleadingly around the clearing, searching for a way out of the mess she'd put herself in. But there was no help to be offered from the stone-faced warriors or the terrified Initiates next to them. She looked back at Mallowshade whose eyes were gleaming with pleasure and malice and she desperately tried to remember the few things Skywhisper had been allowed to teach her.

Her mind flashed back to a moon and a half ago when her mother had taken her to the small clearing where Silverpaw and the others would always play. The silver tabby had begun to show her the basic battle stance and explained what to do if she ever found herself in a bad situation.

_Do not allow yourself to be backed into a corner, _Skywhisper had instructed, her gaze serious. _Ever. If you have to go on the defensive side even when it's in vain, do it. Do whatever it takes. Just don't get into a situation where you're in a corner. If you do, there's no hope left and you've already lost._

Pulling herself back to the present, Silverpaw shook her head to clear it and focused on the gray-black she-cat in front of her. She abruptly stopped backing up, knowing that she had to heed Skywhisper's warning if she wanted to make it out alive. But how?

Suddenly, a light flickered to life in the back of her mind and she dug her claws into the ground, struggling to keep her face impassive. With a lot of luck, it could work. Or, at least turn the score for a few moments while she tried to think or something else.

It didn't matter anyway. It was the only plan she could come up with so she had to go with it.

As Mallowshade advanced, Silverpaw dropped down into a low crouch so that her stomach was pressed against the hard ground. She flattened her ears to her skull and hung her head, letting a small whimper of fear escape her. She didn't have to try very hard to look terrified since it was already pulsing through her with a vengeance. She still her tail and pressed herself lower as Mallowshade halted in front of her.

"Giving up already, kit?" the gray-black warrior sneered. The shallow cut Silverpaw had inflicted was hardly even bleeding. "But why? I didn't even have a chance to shred you yet. I knew you were just faking, that you're just as scared and cowardly as that fish-brain is." She jerked her muzzle to where Foxpaw lay with Smokepaw anxiously licking the blood from his brother's many cuts.

Silverpaw gritted her teeth hard as Mallowshade placed her paw on her head and shoved her face farther into the dirt, her thorn sharp claws digging painfully into her skin.

The Follower leaned down until her nose was right by the Initiate's ear and she whispered, "You don't deserve to be in BrokenClan. You never would have made it. True warriors and Initiates never surrender, they fight till the death or until they're too exhausted to move. So I think I'll just end you right now, before any of us waste any more time on you." Then, she lowered her head to go for the kill shot.

But right before Mallowshade could do any more than clamp her jaws around her neck, Silverpaw yowled and sprang forward, colliding head-on with the Follower who let out a screech of surprise. The Initiate crashed into the she-cat and sent them both tumbling around in a writhing heap of claws and teeth.

Silverpaw fought with everything she had, snapping and lashing blindly while struggling to evade Mallowshade's malicious swipes. She shrieked in pain when the warrior found her mark, sending flares of agony through the gray tabby.

Fueled by the basic instinct to survive, Silverpaw raked her hind claws down Mallowshade's underbelly, grunting with victory when she earned a cry from the Follower.

At long last, they finally came to a halt with Mallowshade on top and Silverpaw wriggling furiously underneath her. With a growl of triumph, Mallowshade scourged a deep path down the Initiate's stomach again and again while Silverpaw flopped desperately on the ground. She tried to kick the she-cat off but couldn't get enough leverage so her paws just slid weakly through the matted fur.

Apparently Mallowshade wanted to wreak the small she-cat completely useless and unable to defend herself because she lashed out at Silverpaw's face and raked her claws across her muzzle and eyes.

Silverpaw wailed in pain as Mallowshade continued her relentless assault, ineffectively trying to deflect her constant blows. Finally, her exhausted limbs just didn't have enough energy left in them and her moves were now clumsy and way off their mark.

Agony like she'd never felt before seared through her both physically and mentally. She'd never experienced this harsh and brutal ways of life before, had never known she could feel like her whole body was one giant nerve of pain. Her head rolled to the side and soon the edges of her vision began to grow black.

She didn't know how long she lay there, getting tortured by Mallowshade's rage and bloodthirsty intent. She had no concept of time as she drifted in and out of hazy consciousness, the colors and sounds of the forest melding together until they were just one huge blurry shape. The horrible pain she'd felt earlier was now gone and in its place was a numbness that she gratefully welcomed.

_Is this what it feels like to die?_ she wondered curiously, finding that she didn't find anything alarming about the idea of it. She wasn't afraid of death itself, exactly. However, she was terrified of leaving her friends behind, of leaving Nettlepaw without another protector and abandoning Ivypaw to face the next cruel six moons alone.

With that suddenly occurring to her, she struggled to blink past the blurriness and tried to fight the increasing darkness that threatened to overtake her. She strained against the numbness and tried to understand what was happening to her out of her fuzzy mind. It was as if she was in a deep river, her lungs aching for air, and she began to kick furiously towards the surface. She needed to know what was going on, if she was even still alive.

Because she was still alive right?

Almost as soon as this new possibility made itself known, Silverpaw finally broke through the water and into reality, her sides heaving and gasping for much needed air. She blinked and realized Mallowshade was still standing over her limp form but was no longer attacking her. The gray-black warrior simply stood a few pawsteps away as she watched with narrowed eyes shining with pure malevolence.

And that's when Silverpaw felt it.

Agonizing pain crashed into her in the form of one huge tidal wave, slicing viciously and ruthlessly through her from the tips of her ears to the very last hairs on her tail. It seared terribly into her memory, and she distantly knew she would never ever forget how it felt. She heard someone emit a soul-ripping, blood-chilling scream and vaguely realized it was coming from her own mouth.

She thought she heard several voices shouting her name but she was beyond caring. She just needed to get away from all this pain, far away from her broken body.

Silverpaw's pale blue eyes rolled back into her head and she thankfully fell into the black clutches that surrounded her. She slumped exhaustedly into it, past the point of moving, or screaming, or even thinking.

The last thing that reached her ears was a whispered voice telling her everything would be okay, right before she finally gave into the enveloping unconsciousness and tumbled gratefully into the dark abyss that awaited her.

**Oh my gosh, this chapter was over 6,000 words! O.O holy bajeezus…well, review my lovelies and tell me what you think! **


	6. Chapter five

**So sorry I've been off for a while! I actually lost interest in this story for a while there but now I'm back into it! Hope you didn't give up on it!**

**Wingbreeze: Yeah, Mallowshade's horrible. :) here's a little Foxpaw to cure your sorrows *throws one***

**ShoutFinder: Lol thanks so much, and I'm really looking forward to the next chapter in your Daughter of the Sun story! *throws Foxpaw plushie* **

**NoReaSoN2CaR3: Yeah, there was no way in heck I was going to allow a newly made Initiate with absolutely no battle technique **_**whatsoever**_** win against a fully trained warrior such as Mallowshade. I mean, might as well just slap a Mary-Sue sticker on Silverpaw and be done with it! XD Thanks for your support and here's the next chapter.**

**Honeyshine: You know what's horrible? I love writing cliffhangers but I absolutely loathe reading them. Kinda hypocritical, huh? Lol**

**Moongazer13: Why thank you, love! :D Now, as for which plushie you want…?**

**FlyingSteps: heehee… *sing-song voice* you'll just have to wait and see what happens!**

**Born of True Destiny: Wow, so little words…but so much power…lol and Mallowshade will probably die at some point since I hate her.**

**Dustwhisker The Cat: Yeah, I always try really hard not to use things like 'minutes' or 'hours' or 'weeks' or whatever…guess that one just kinda slipped out :P**

**Fallen Dewdrops: Thank you very much dear!**

**Lloinng : Of course you can! *throws the plushies* And don't worry, Karma will catch up to them eventually…*cue evil laughter and ominous music***

**Guest: Thank so much, and I guess it could be related to the Hunger Games. It's actually loosely based off of the Divergent series. Have you read the books? They're exceptional and if you haven't, I highly recommend them! :) would you care for a plushie?**

**Mistyflower68: Thanks a lot for your support! And I have no idea what'll happen between RunningXSilver…you'll just have to wait and see! Plushie?**

**Rachel123: A Symphony of Secrets is on hold at the moment due to major writer's block. I got the idea for this story from the Divergent series, and it is loosely based off of those books. Thanks for your review, and here's the chapter you've been waiting for!**

**I don't think I can say this enough: THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR YOUR REVIEWS! They're such a great source of inspiration and you all are really the only things that keep me writing. I'm so grateful for your support. ^-^**

**Now, here's what you've actually been waiting for ;) **

Silverpaw awoke with a fierce start, her heart pounding wildly in her chest and an indescribable paranoia pulsing through her veins. Her eyes shifted frantically around to try and comprehend what was going on and just what was causing this feeling.

She was lying in a poorly-made nest constructed of ferns and reeds and the walls around her were made of dead twigs and dry, caked mud. The ceiling was low and she knew if she stood that there would be very little room between her ears and the roof. The area was unfamiliar to her in every sense and her unexplainable unease mounted rapidly with every passing heartbeat.

Silverpaw took a deep breath to calm down and an overwhelming, pungent aroma hit her nose at full force. Almost immediately she began sneezing, the spasms racking her body one right after the other as she tried to get used to the overpowering scent. After a few moments she finally got it under control and she heaved a deep sigh of relief, thoughts whirling like a twister in her head.

_It smells like some of the herbs Ryefeather and Swiftpetal took after they gave birth, _she wondered. _If it is herbs then that must mean I'm in the Medicine Cat's den!_

But why?

Just as she opened her mouth to call out, a rustling noise made her freeze. It grew louder and suddenly, a small black head poked its way into the area where she was laying. It narrowed its pale green eyes when it spotted Silverpaw awake.

"Well it took you long enough!" the unknown cat growled, pushing its way all the way through what she now realized was a hole in the wall. "I was about to just slap you with some wet moss to wake you up myself."

Silverpaw blinked, recognizing that the cat in front of her was indefinably female. Her pale blue eyes scanned the she-cat, noting the sharp ribs that protruded from sleek black fur, the hard ridge of a spine that she could easily see the outline of, small dainty white paws, and finally-those green eyes that were guarded but sparkled with a kindness that instantly made her nervousness disappear.

The black she-cat halted in front of Silverpaw and bent down so that her wet nose made contact with her ear. After a moment, the unknown cat pulled back and meowed cheerfully, "Good, you don't have a fever. I doubted you would get one since none of your wounds got infected, but you never know, right?"

"Um…" Silverpaw could only stare, unable to turn her thoughts into sentences. "I don't…"

"Oh StarClan, how could I be so forgetful? You must be so confused, what with this being your first time here and everything…" The she-cat blinked warmly down at Silverpaw. "My name is Mintwhisker, Medicine Cat of BrokenClan. Your friends brought you in-well more like dragged you in, actually, the lot of them-not too long ago. Said Buzzardstrike made you all train with Mallowshade, of all cats! I'll never understand how that flea bag could ever have earned any respect."

Silverpaw's head ached slightly, trying to keep up with Mintwhisker's fast-paced speech.

"Anyway," the black Medicine Cat continued, "I sent Tawnyflame, that's my Trainee by the way, to go and patch up your friends because their wounds weren't so bad. I cleaned yours right up and that other cat's as well…what's his name? The ginger tom?"

"Foxpaw?"

Mintwhisker nodded, turning around to grab a bundle of herbs she'd brought in. She began sorting through them as she meowed, "Right, Foxpaw. I think his wounds were worse than yours, even though you had more than he did. But yours are all very shallow while his are all deep. So I actually don't know which one of you was better off, come to think of it."

When Mintwhisker paused thoughtfully, Silverpaw's mind reeled with this newfound information. She searched her memory and almost instantly the scene in the clearing rushed up to meet her. She remembered Foxpaw's bloodstained fur, Mallowshade's ruthless claws, the excruciating pain that had consumed her, a whispered voice telling her everything would be alright, and then…blackness.

Silverpaw forced herself back into the present and noticed that Mintwhisker was watching her curiously. "What?"

The black she-cat cocked her head to the side as if considering something. "Normally this is the part where you beg me to let you go so that you can run out of here and never return to BrokenClan again."

"What?" was the only thing Silverpaw could think to say.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, BrokenClan isn't the most pleasant of places to be in," Mintwhisker stated dryly, an edge in her tone. "It happens during every Initiation; or at least, at the beginning of it anyway."

Silverpaw shook her head slowly. "What does?"

"That they realize that being an Initiate of BrokenClan is hardly going to be exciting, much less fun, for anyone. Every season on the first day of training, every Initiate has some type of wound that'll leave a scar."

"What, as some type of reminder or something?" Silverpaw muttered, disgust towards Cedarstar, Buzzardstrike, Mallowshade, and pretty much every BrokenClan Follower, building inside of her.

Mintwhisker nodded, finally finding the herb she needed and hooking a claw through it. "That's exactly what it is. Cedarstar wants to make sure that no one ever forgets their first day in the Clan." She took the leaf into her mouth and began to chew it quickly, green liquid sliding from her jaws to her chin.

After a few moments of silence, the black she-cat spat out a wad of chewed herbs and saliva onto her forepaw. She hobbled over to Silverpaw and flicked her tail. "Roll onto your back so that I can spread this on your stomach," she instructed.

The small gray tabby obeyed and soon she felt the thick, sticky pulp clumping her underbelly fur together as Mintwhisker smeared it over her wounds.

"So how long until I have to return to the training?" she questioned, half hoping that the answer would be _never_.

Mintwhisker shrugged. "Since your wounds aren't that deep, you should be good to go by tomorrow."

Silverpaw's eyes widened in shock. "_Tomorrow?_" Surprise raised her voice an octave higher than she would have liked.

"If it were up to me I'd keep you and Foxpaw out of training until your wounds properly healed," the skinny black she-cat growled. "But Cedarstar has made it very clear that unless you're close to dying or your legs are broken, you return to Initiation the next day. This goes for every Initiate."

"B-but that's ridiculous!" Silverpaw exclaimed, stunned. Anger flared in her chest like a raging fire. "What if we reopen one of our wounds or something?"

Again, Mintwhisker shrugged. "Then I'll just have to close them up again," she meowed flatly. She pulled back and gave the wounds one more sniff before she nodded. "There, that should be good. You're free to leave and go back to your friends now."

Still stunned from what the Medicine Cat had told her, Silverpaw numbly followed the instructions and pushed herself to her paws. She blinked her blue eyes and looked down at her stomach, gasping at what she saw.

What looked like close to a dozen claw marks were slashed every which way across the soft flesh of her belly. Even though the dark green smear of herbs hid it somewhat, she could still make out the abundance of wounds that covered the entire length of her stomach. Clumps of her long belly fur had been pulled out, leaving pale patches where it should have been.

Shock prickled to life inside of her and she could only stare at the crisscrossing wounds with her jaw hanging open. After a long moment, she finally tore her gaze away and she turned to Mintwhisker. "How can Cedarstar allow his cats to do these things to us?" she cried in a thin voice.

The black she-cat blinked slowly at her, her green eyes filled with something unreadable. "I don't know," Mintwhisker meowed softly. "I don't know."

**0o0o**

Silverpaw roughly pushed her way out of the Medicine Cat den entrance, shuddering when the dry, scratchy reeds clung to her sides. She was met with a burst of humid air and she squinted to block out the blinding rays of the sun that hung high in the sky. The ground was hard and compact under her paws and she scanned the clearing while she paused to find her bearings.

Cedarstar was lounging near the huge, dead tree that took up the better part of the camp and he appeared to be in a heated conversation with Buzzardstrike, who sat next to him. Other unknown cats were spread out around the entire clearing, sharing tongues and eating fresh-kill with one another.

Silverpaw looked around, trying to spot a familiar face, and she caught sight of her friends. All five of them were clustered loosely together and she watched as Runningpaw demonstrated something to Foxpaw and Smokepaw while Ivypaw and Nettlepaw were talking quietly together.

Taking a deep breath, the gray tabby left the shelter of the den and padded towards them. Her stomach felt stiff and heavy, causing her movements to become a bit clumsy and awkward. As she neared them, Ivypaw spotted her and the silver and white she-cat sprang to her paws and rushed forth to meet her.

"Oh great StarClan, I'm so glad you're okay!" Ivypaw cried once she was in earshot. She skidded to a halt and began sniffing along Silverpaw's flank. "Are you sure you should be up right now? Foxpaw said Mintwhisker told him that you've been out cold for a while."

Despite the anger pulsing through her, Silverpaw felt a rusty purr build inside of her. She flicked her friend's ear with her fluffy tail and meowed, "Don't worry, Ivypaw. I'm fine." _Well, as fine as one can be after just being mauled by a vindictive fox-heart_, she silently added bitterly.

Runningpaw and Nettlepaw came up to where they were standing and Foxpaw shuffled painstakingly forward while leaning heavily on Smokepaw's shoulder. His amber eyes were heavily lidded and Silverpaw spotted the same green blob of herbs on his belly fur that Mintwhisker had put on her own.

Nettlepaw reached them first, his blue eyes bright with worry. "Silverpaw!" he exclaimed. He halted a tail-length away, brown paws shifting uncertainly. "A-are you okay?"

"Of course she's not, feather-brain. Mallowshade made sure of that," Runningpaw snorted, stopping beside his brother. His dark green eyes met hers and unexpected warmth fluttered to life in her stomach when she saw the intensity in them. He titled his cream-colored head to the side as if considering something. "You sure it's okay for you to be out here though?"

Silverpaw mentally shook herself and tried to shove the weird feeling away with a hard push. She broke off the stare and her gaze traveled over Runningpaw's cream tabby and brown fur and she was suddenly struck by how soft it looked just then. She felt an inexplicable urge to step forward and press against him to see just how soft it really was and she gave herself a forceful shake.

_What is WRONG with me? _she thought, shocked by what she'd just experienced. _Why in StarClan's name did I just want to touch Runningpaw, of all cats?_

"Silverpaw?"

The gray tabby jumped guiltily when Ivypaw said her name and a hot flush crept up her ears as if her thoughts were on display for everyone to see. She forced herself to look at her friend instead of Runningpaw and she blinked to bring herself back to reality. "Y-yeah?"

Ivypaw was staring at her through narrowed yellow eyes and Silverpaw's pelt just about burst into flames. "I asked if you wanted to eat with us since a hunting patrol just came back." The silver and white Initiate gestured to the heaping pile of fresh-kill that lay in the center of the clearing with a few BrokenClan Followers spread out around it.

Silverpaw cleared her throat and nodded a bit too quickly. "Sure!" she replied in a loud voice. For some reason she felt on edge and unnerved, uncomfortable with standing so close to Runningpaw after her bizarre impulse to press against him. "I'm starving!"

She rushed away as quickly as possible, knowing that her friends were probably gaping after her with their curious gazes burning holes in her pelt. She stumbled slightly over her own paws and she ducked her head so as not to make eye contact with any of the older cats. The wounds from the fight that morning ached, a searing reminder that she would have to watch what she did and said from now on.

Keeping her eyes focused on the ground, she approached the fresh-kill pile and snatched up the first thing she saw: a plump, juicy looking trout lying on top. She turned around swiftly and almost ran into a cat that had practically materialized in front of her.

"Watch where you're going, Initiate," the cat growled. His black pelt was dusty and his one brown ear flicked irritably, his dark amber eyes narrowing at her from over a scarred muzzle.

"Sorry!" she squeaked, the sound muffled from the fish she had her jaws clamped around. She took a few steps back, uneasy from standing so close to a cat that she knew nothing about. Flashes of Mallowshade's claws whirled in her mind and her heart thumped faster. This tomcat could just as easily tear her apart, and that thought frightened her.

The dark pelted Follower opened his mouth to respond, but paused, tilting his head to the side and looking at her as if he could tell what she was feeling. After a long moment, he rolled his amber eyes and meowed, "Relax, kit, I'm not gonna rip your whiskers off."

Silverpaw just stared at him, not feeling the least bit ashamed about her fear. _I have a right to feel this way,_ she thought hotly. Instead of saying that though, she just shuffled her paws awkwardly, her mouth starting to cramp from holding the trout for so long.

"The name's Lizardclaw," the tom told her, sweeping his tail across the dusty ground. "And you must be Silverpaw, Skywhisper's kit. Am I right?"

Surprised that he knew anything about her, Silverpaw nodded mutely.

Lizardclaw nodded as well. "Thought so." He started forward, veering around her on his way to the fresh-kill pile, but stopped before he was more than a few pawsteps past her. He glanced over his shoulder at her. "A word of advice for next time-if you're going to get some fresh-kill, stay away from the trout. Those are my favorite." Then he swung back around and continued on his way, leaving a bewildered Silverpaw in his wake.

"Geez, what's his problem?" Ivypaw commented as her and the rest of the group caught up with the gray tabby. Her yellow eyes followed Lizardclaw as the black tom roughly grabbed one of the few remaining trout in his jaws and stalked away to where a dirty white she-cat and a dusty brown and white tom sat a few tail-lengths from the large, dead tree.

Since her mouth was now fiercely cramping up, Silverpaw couldn't have responded even if she wanted to. Rather, she just shrugged to show her confusion and headed over to one of the boulders that bordered the camp. Once she reached it, she dumped the fish onto the ground and plopped down on her haunches, careful not to let her stomach wounds touch the dirt.

Her friends quickly arrived with their own prey of choice and soon all six Initiates were clumped loosely together in a small circle. Silverpaw bent her head and sniffed along the trout, her mouth beginning to water at the enticing scent. She'd only ever tasted fish once before, when Swiftpetal had caught one when all six of them had been about three moons old.

She took a small bite to test the taste and immediately started devouring it in huge, ravenous gulps. She closed her eyes to savor the delicious fishy flavor and figured she could probably never grow tired of eating it.

_Maybe Clan life won't be so bad as long as I can go to the river and learn how to catch some of these tasty things myself!_ she thought as she swiped her tongue over her jaws to catch any last pieces of fish that clung to her mouth.

"Wow, you ate fast," Smokepaw observed, glancing up from his mouse.

Silverpaw blinked and looked around at her friends' prey, realizing that each of them was not even halfway done while the only thing that remained of hers was a pile of small bones.

She shrugged sheepishly. "I was hungry," she muttered, giving her chest fur a few self-conscious licks.

"Nothing wrong with that," meowed Runningpaw, gazing at her with an unreadable expression.

Startled that the cream and brown tabby tom hadn't made fun of her or teased her, Silverpaw's attention snapped to him and her pale blue eyes locked once again with his dark green ones. Puzzlement prickled to life inside of her and she felt an unfamiliar nervousness along with it. Where were these weird emotions and urges coming from? And why in StarClan's name was Runningpaw being-dare she say it?-…nice?

_Mallowshade must've knocked me pretty hard,_ she guessed as she broke eye contact and began grooming her long fur. _Runningpaw's just being weird because he realized that BrokenClan isn't as great as he thought. _

Yes, that must be it.

For surely, she couldn't be softening towards Runningpaw -the cat who had taunted her since she was a kit, the one who was always cocky and annoying no matter the circumstances. No, it just didn't make any sense.

_How could I even THINK about being friends with that arrogant fur-ball? _Silverpaw asked herself, digging her claws into the ground. _Runningpaw and I have always and will always dislike each other, no matter what._

Besides, she reasoned, if she did become close to him then he would just be another distraction; another thing to get in the way and stop her from becoming a Follower. And now that she'd felt firsthand just how brutal the warriors could be, she couldn't risk being sidetracked.

Because right now, she had to focus on just trying to stay alive.

**Ah, I have FINALLY completed this chapter! So, so, so, so, SO sorry you all had to wait so long for it. :/ hopefully I'll be able to post the next one soon! Review my lovely piggies!**

**Oink. :3**


	7. Chapter six

**Hey everyone, good news: I'm finally getting back into this story which means more updates! :D oh, and for the LAST time, **_**A SYMPHONY OF SECRETS IS CURRENTLY ON HIATUS!**_**I don't know how many times I must say that but people continuously nag me about it and it irritates me to no end.**

**Read these little author's notes people! They're here for a reason. Now, here are the comments:**

**Born of True Destiny: Yeah I like Mintwhisker a lot and she's going to play a big role in the story. :3 I'm glad this is your favorite story, that means a lot to me :P**

**The Last Moongazer: *Throws Mintwhisker plushie* and at the moment Silverpaw is just very confused about everything and there's going to be a twist about who she feels affection towards in the middle of the story. :3**

**FlyingSteps: Yeah Cedarstar is a butthead. Don't worry, he's going to pay…*ominous music* lol**

**Honeyshine: Lol don't worry I do plan on finishing this story eventually. And yeah Mallowshade just needs to die XD**

**ShoutFinder: Well, I'm not going to give too much away about Silverpaw and Runningpaw, just that there's going to be a twist somewhere along the way *evil laugh* lol yesh, Lizardclaw is one sassy kitty who loooooves his trout.**

**Wingbreeze: Here ya go! *throws plushie* Thanks for reviewing!**

**A Dewy Leaf: Yeah Lizardclaw's pretty awesome :D Did I already give you a plushie? If not, would you like one?**

**Graymist661: Ok, as I have said numerous times before: A SYMPHONY OF SECRETS IS ON CURRENT HIATUS! Please, do not make me say it again. Also, I do realize that SilverXRunning seems way too obvious, that's why I'm going to twist it later on in the story. Trust me, this is not going to be a predictable story. Here's your plushie! *throws Silverpaw***

**Rachel123: Please read above for information on **_**A symphony of Secrets.**_** Thank you for reviewing! Whish plushie would you like?**

**Snow and Night the sisters: Lol you can have a Foxpaw plushy! *throws one* and yes, I did plan it :3**

**Ahem. Onto the chapter!**

Silverpaw couldn't remember ever experiencing such intense soreness in her short life of six and a quarter moons.

The sun had risen and set seven times since that first day of Initiation, and she was seriously debating whether to just throw herself into the viscous river rather than face another day of brutal battle training. Drowning had to be a better than being physically worn down past the point of no return, right? At least it would be quicker, she reasoned.

She trudged out of the dead log entrance, not bothering to hardly pick up her heavy paws. Her head swayed slightly as she kept her focus on Nettlepaw's brown tail tip so that she would fall over from weariness. She felt Ivypaw moving behind her at the same slow pace as the rest of the Initiates but couldn't find the energy to give much thought to anything.

"Come on, Initiates!" Buzzardstrike's deep voice commanded from the head of the group. The smoky gray tom was glaring over his shoulder at the six cats padding at a snail's pace. "A little battle training and you can barely stand up? What are you, kits?"

Silverpaw raised her head a bit and narrowed her pale eyes at the Clan deputy. A small growl escaped her and she had to grit her teeth to keep herself from yowling at the arrogant tom. _If that was only a little bit of training, then my fur's green._

Finally, they all reached the fresh-kill pile and Buzzardstrike turned to face them. Somehow, despite a long day of demonstrating battle moves and fighting all the Initiates, his gray pelt appeared almost as sleek as it had been at dawn that morning. Silverpaw could never wrap her head around how the deputy's fur was always presentable no matter the circumstances.

"Since you have all been in Initiation for eight sunrises, it is time that you are introduced to the Feeding Pattern," he stated, his dark blue eyes roving over each of the six cats in front of him.

That startled the Initiates from their bleary fog and Silverpaw's head snapped up. She exchanged a confused glance with Ivypaw, struggling to comprehend what Buzzardstrike was saying.

"Feeding Pattern?" questioned Smokepaw, cocking his head to the side. His right ear was bleeding from the shallow nick Nettlepaw had managed to give him during practice that day, but the dark gray-black tom didn't seem to realize it. "What's that?"

Buzzardstrike lashed his faint tabby striped tail and bared his teeth. "If you'll shut up for a moment, I'll tell you," he growled.

Smokepaw flinched and dipped his head in submission. Foxpaw pressed against him protectively but didn't say a word. None of them were foolish enough to push the deputy when he was speaking.

"As I was _saying_," the BrokenClan deputy continued, "the Feeding Pattern is determined by how well each of you did in the training session for the day. So, since today Runningpaw did the best out of all of you, he gets first pick of prey."

Runningpaw blinked when his name was spoken and Silverpaw could see a sliver of pride in his dark green eyes. She unsheathed her claws and dug them into the ground, uneasiness churning in her stomach. She had a bad feeling about this.

Buzzardstrike sat on his haunches and wrapped his tail around his paws and narrowed his eyes, his chin raised regally. "And from the Initiate who did the best, the rest fall in descending order. Foxpaw, you'll get to choose your prey after Runningpaw. Then it's Ivypaw, Silverpaw, Nettlepaw, and finally, Smokepaw."

A stunned silence met his words. Silverpaw stared at the tom with wide, disbelieving eyes. _He can't be serious!_

Buzzardstrike whipped his head around and glared at the gray tabby Initiate, distaste contorting his features. "Oh I can assure you, kit, I am very serious," he spat.

She felt a jolt of nervousness when she realized she had actually spoken her thought out loud without planning to. She swallowed hard but kept her gaze locked with the deputy's. She knew she should just bow her head and move on but she couldn't keep quiet about something as important as this, no matter how hard she tried.

"But it's ridiculous!" she burst out, unable to contain herself. "What if there's not enough prey for the last cat?" Her eyes flicked to the fresh-kill pile and noticed that, much to her relief, it was well stocked right then. _But what about when Leaf-Bare comes along?_

Buzzardstrike slowly rose to his paws and stalked towards where she stood towards the back. Her friends silently shifted aside to allow him to pass, eyes wide. Silverpaw shuffled her paws anxiously and had to force herself not to show weakness.

The smoky gray tom stared at her unblinkingly from icy blue eyes. His expression was carefully blank as he assessed her. He was quiet for a long moment before he eventually murmured, "Does the fresh-kill pile look empty to you, Silverpaw?"

She throat constricting and her heart rate sped up as the beginnings of fear bloomed in her chest, making it impossible to respond.

Buzzardstrike leaned in closer until they were almost nose to nose. "I said," he repeated haltingly in a quiet voice, "Does the fresh-kill pile look empty to you?"

She swallowed back the nausea threatening to rise and she shook her head.

"I. Didn't. Hear. You."

"No, Buzzardstrike," she whispered, shame and anger pulsing through her. How dare he talk to her in that patronizing tone like she was a slow, newborn kit? _If only I could take him in a real battle, _she fumed silently. _I'd claw that arrogant smirk right off his ugly face!_

"That's what I thought." The hiss came low and threatening, every word reverberating through the air and hitting her like a slap to the face.

She broke eye contact, unable to handle any more. She dropped her gaze to the sandy ground beneath her paws and waited until his looming presence shifted and moved back to the front of the group. She felt Ivypaw brush comfortingly against her and she exchanged a sorrowful look with her yellow-eyed friend.

The smoky gray tom stood staring at them for a moment before shifting his attention to Runningpaw and growling, "Well? Do you want to get your fresh-kill or would you rather stand there like a daft mouse waiting for me to change the order into something different?"

The cream and brown Initiate shook his head feverishly and nearly stumbled over his paws in his haste to get to the prey. The rest followed in the order Buzzardstrike had told them and soon the six cats were crouched in a loose cluster while they stuffed their mouths with fresh-kill.

Silverpaw took a huge bite out of the trout lying between her front paws, closing her eyes and savoring the tangy taste that flooded her mouth. Fish was proving to be by far the best type of fresh-kill in her opinion. The months of munching on starlings and magpies with Skywhisper and the other two queens seemed like a lifetime away. Had it only been nearly eight sunrises ago?

Thinking about her mother made Silverpaw realize suddenly that she had hardly seen the silver she-cat-or Ryefeather and Swiftpetal for that matter-since that first day they'd come to BrokenClan. It was probably from how busy she and the other Initiates had been, she figured. What with training from dawn to sunset, there was barely anytime for anything aside from eating and sleeping.

"What're you thinking about, Silverpaw?" Nettlepaw asked, bits of his half eaten water vole hanging from his brown chin.

She blinked and shook her head to bring herself back to the present. She glanced over at him and noticed that the brown tabby tom looked just as exhausted as she felt. His eyelids were dropping and he appeared to be fighting to keep his head up.

"Nothing really," she admitted. "I was just thinking about how I haven't really seen Skywhisper for a while. It feels strange to be apart from her for so long."

Foxpaw raised his fluffy ginger head from his blackbird long enough to meow, "Same here. Last time I saw Swiftpetal was two sunrises ago and she seemed to be really busy."

"Maybe they're going on extra patrol and doing more hunting because they want to make up all the time they've missed being away from the Clan," commented Runningpaw. Having already devoured his prey, he was now contentedly sprawled on his side and grooming his short, thick pelt.

"Yeah, that's probably it," Smokepaw agreed, nodding enthusiastically, Silverpaw fought the urge to roll her eyes. The dark-furred tom seemed to always be agreeing with what everyone else said.

Nettlepaw nudged her with his muzzle, blue eyes bright. "I'm sure it's nothing, Silverpaw."

"Of _course_ it's nothing, you feather-brains!" Ivypaw huffed, though her tone was good-natured. "What else would they be doing? It's not like Cedarstar has them barricaded in a hole in the ground or something."

Silverpaw shuddered at the thought of something so terrible. But, much to her disgust, she had to admit: she wouldn't put it past the BrokenClan leader to do something so horrible. The very idea of it made her sick to her stomach and she pushed the remains of her trout away, her hunger abruptly spoiled.

"You know what I wanna know?" Runningpaw mewed, giving his pelt one last lick before rolling back onto his stomach.

This time, Silverpaw couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Please, enlighten us O' Great One."

Foxpaw snorted softly while Runningpaw ignored her commentary. "What I want to know," he paused for what she figured was dramatic effect, "is who are fathers are."

Silence settled over the six Initiates as Runningpaw leaned back, letting them absorb his statement. After a moment of considering this, it was Nettlepaw who finally spoke. "I've been wondering that as well," he murmured quietly.

"But it's not like we're ever going to know," Ivypaw pointed out, and Silverpaw nodded.

"True," her brother agreed. "But shouldn't we have the opportunity to just take a few guesses?"

Silverpaw thought about this. The subject of fathers had always been forbidden back in the den at the unknown territory. None of them could ever get in a question or even speak of who they might be without Skywhisper, Ryefeather, or Swiftpetal telling them to hush. _But we're not kits anymore,_ she reasoned. _We're Initiates. Surely we should be able to speculate, right?_

"Well, I'd bet my next piece of fresh-kill that Scorchfoot's mine and Smokepaw's," muttered Foxpaw, licking his chest fur. "If only because of the fact that he's the only other ginger cat in the whole Clan."

Silverpaw scanned the clearing around them. A few cats were lounging about chatting amongst themselves, but not many. She assumed that most of the BrokenClan cats weren't ones for friendly conversation; even with the cats they've known their whole lives. The darkening sky cast long shadows over the forms of her Clanmates, though she could still make out the color of their pelts.

Larkwing, the cream and yellow splotched she-cat from their first day of Initiation, was sharing tongues with a small, dusty brown tom whose name she had to fight to remember. Otterpelt, she was pretty sure. Near them lay Lizardclaw, Dovestone, and Echostep, a pretty silver-dappled white she-cat whom Silverpaw had run into her fourth day of being in BrokenClan. The warrior had been nice enough, though her eyes were always carefully guarded, just like almost every other BrokenClan cat's.

Even from the tail-lengths away she was, the tabby Initiate could make out the long, pink scar running down the whole length of Echostep's left side. The sight of such things didn't frighten her as much as it used to. Wounds and scars were such a normalcy in the Clan that the effect had worn off pretty quickly. It seemed like no one went without some marking to be remembered by.

Silverpaw's eyes traveled to where Scorchfoot, the cat in question, sat talking quietly with Buzzardstrike. She had to admit, he and Foxpaw resembled each other immensely, though the Follower's fur glowed a light shade of ginger than the Initiate's. And all four of his large paws were a snowy white that greatly contrasted with his tabby pelt.

"…all look the same," Runningpaw was saying by the time she pulled herself back into the conversation. "I mean, every cat seems to have brown in their fur!"

"Just because you and Nettlepaw are brown doesn't mean our father has to be!" Ivypaw snapped irritably. "What about the silver in _my_ pelt?"

"Seeing as two out of three kits have brown in their fur, it seems highly likely that the tom who fathered us would be brown."

"Nettlepaw, must you _always_ be so technical?"

"It's not technical, it's logical! Think about it for a second."

"Well, my bet's on either Tigerleaf or Hawkthorn," Runningpaw interrupted his bickering littermates.

Hawkthorn. The name didn't sound very familiar and Silverpaw struggled to put a face to it. She was almost positive he was the mottled brown Follower she'd seen eating with Larkwing once before, but she couldn't be sure.

Ivypaw lashed her tail angrily. "Please. If brown's the only color you're going to go by, then that's like saying any number of these toms could be our father! Even Cedarstar, for StarClan's sake!"

That shut the two brothers up. No one wanted to even consider the possibility of being related to the cruel BrokenClan leader. It was too disturbing of a thought. Besides, Silverpaw could never see him even choosing to take a mate- unless it was to expand the Clan, of course.

"So Silverpaw," Foxpaw meowed, breaking the awkward tension Ivypaw's comment had caused, "who do you think your father is?"

Silverpaw snorted and shook her head. "I don't even know where to begin. The color of my fur doesn't help at all because Skywhisper's is almost exactly alike." She mentally went through the faces of the cats she'd met since arriving in BrokenClan, but it was like trying to find a certain pebble on the river shore. Impossible.

"What about Swallowstripe?" Nettlepaw suggested, mentioning a silver tom with very dark stripes she'd only ever caught a glance of.

She shrugged. "It could be anyone. Gray and silver are very common amongst these cats."

"Just like brown," Ivypaw muttered under her breath.

_Unfortunately,_ a voice whispered in her head, soft and sad. The thought of never knowing her father upset Silverpaw more than she thought it would. What would it have been like, being raised by two parents instead of just one? Would she have been more understanding, more controlled about what she said? Then again, she wasn't sure she wanted any of these BrokenClan cats to be related to her at all.

The six Initiates descended into a comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Ivypaw shifted closer to Silverpaw and the gray tabby purred softly, butting her head into her friend's shoulder.

The exhaustion from the day caught up with her at last and she rested her head on her paws, enjoying the how the warm nighttime air felt. A gentle breeze flowed through the camp, bending the ferns and reeds and twirling loose sand from the ground. For the first time since she'd joined BrokenClan, Silverpaw let herself fully relax. She didn't know where Cedarstar, or Sunfang, or even Mallowshade were but right then, she found that she could've cared less.

All she wanted to do was sleep and not think about the present and, more frightening, the future. It wasn't long before her pale eyes slid closed, and she fell into a peaceful blackness where the screams and yowls of pain brought out by Initiation couldn't reach her.

**0o0o0**

"Silverpaw."

She floated on the blissful state in-between dreaming and reality. Her mother's voice swept over her like a quiet stream over pebbles, caressing every inch of space around her and enveloping her in a cocoon of warmth. She snuggled deeper and sighed serenely.

"Silverpaw, my sweet, wake up."

_No,_ she thought as she was slowly pulled from the fog that coated her mind. _Why am I leaving?_

"Silverpaw?"

The light gray tabby she-cat blinked open her eyes and was met with darkness. She allowed herself to adjust and moments later she could make out the shape of a slender figure standing over her.

Silverpaw raised her head and tried to clear the bleariness from her vision. "Wha…?

Movement broke the stillness as the cat leaned down so that she could finally see who it was. Bright green eyes gazed at her tenderly and she broke out into a loud purr as she recognized the narrow face and the slight ears.

"Skywhisper!" she exclaimed, leaping to her paws and then stumbling to the side in an attempt to balance herself. She felt her mother slide up next to her so that she didn't fall flat on her face.

"Shh, Silverpaw, you mustn't speak so loudly," Skywhisper murmured, grunting slightly when she caught her daughter. She waited until the smaller Initiate had righted herself before she spoke again. "It's past moonhigh now, you know."

Silverpaw gaped and glanced towards the indigo expanse overhead, realizing that Skywhisper was right. The crescent moon was a sliver of a waxy, yellow color and was positioned high above the pointed tops of the trees. She dropped her eyes and looked around, seeing that the clearing was empty.

"But...why didn't the others wake me?" she questioned, feeling a bit hurt that her friends had just left her out in the middle of the BrokenClan camp without any protection.

Skywhisper shrugged. "I don't know. But now is not the time to dwell on that. You need to go to your nest and get back to sleep. Dawn isn't too far away."

Silverpaw nodded absently, still annoyed that even Ivypaw hadn't woken her up from her slumber. _Some friends, _she snorted silently.

She felt a nudge on her shoulder and turned to look at her mother. The silver she-cat's tabby coat shone in the faint moonlight, turning a soft white shade, and her green eyes twinkled. However, something didn't seem right.

Silverpaw swept her eyes over the Follower and she observed that Skywhisper's tail hung lower than usual, and that her fur wasn't actually as sleek and well-kept as she had originally thought. The she-cat's shoulders were slumped and even through the darkness, Silverpaw could tell that Skywhisper's whole appearance screamed weariness.

"Are you okay?" the tabby Initiate meowed in concern, stepping closer. "I've hardly seen you since we've gotten here…"

Skywhisper dropped her gaze and shuffled her paws, clear signs that told Silverpaw she was uncomfortable with the sudden change in topic. "I'm fine," her mother replied in a terse voice. "I've just been busy is all. You know-hunting for the Clan and making up for lost time."

"But-"

"It isn't the time or place to have this discussion, Silverpaw," Skywhisper interrupted, her voice unexpectedly cool.

Silverpaw blinked, shocked. "Oh...okay…"

Her mother sighed heavily and it seemed like she was trying to get all her exhaustion out with that one single exhale. "I'm sorry," she meowed softly. She touched her nose to Silverpaw's ear. "I'm just very tired right now."

"I understand." Though in actuality, the small gray tabby was more confused than ever.

"Thank you, my sweet." Skywhisper nuzzled her gently before taking a step back. "I hope you sleep well," she added, "and good luck tomorrow." Then, she spun around and stalked silently away towards the direction of the Followers' den across the clearing.

Silverpaw watched her mother go and a strange feeling of dread extended its tendrils throughout her whole body. A drop of icy fear slid down her spine and she shivered uneasily. What would tomorrow bring? The same battle training as today? Or something worse?

As she stood there in the utterly soundless clearing, she realized she'd never felt more afraid in her life.

**DUN DUN DUN! Crappy chapter, I know. I apologize immensely! I'll try and start on the next one soon! Review, my lovely readers! I still wish to hear your opinions!**


	8. Chapter seven

**WHOA! Would you look at that! A new chapter! *explodes* I've honestly run out of excuses for not updating. The main reason is that I'm having a terrible case of writer's block :( But, thanks to ShoutFinder, I have gotten inspiration for this next chapter! So, thank her when you get the chance ;)**

**Honeyshine: Yes, Silverpaw is a bit of a rebel :D thank you for your kind words girl! **

**Petalfall11: D'aww, thanks! 3 Just for that, you can have an Ivypaw AND a Silverpaw plushie! *throws them* and a plushie is basically just a virtual stuffed animal kind of thing XD**

**Born of True Destiny: You're the only one who knows who her father is! BE PROUD! XD**

**ShoutFinder: Lol you already know what's gonna happen XD**

**HazelCat13: Lmao I didn't mean to leave a cliffhanger! That was completely unintentional!**

**Scarlet Chica: Thanks, man! That means a lot :3 have you gotten a plushie yet?**

**Mistsong: Heehee…yeah, sometime soon that mouth of her is going to get her into serious trouble *ominous music* do you want a plushie?**

**Guest: Hiatus means that the story isn't going to be updated for a while. Like if you're going on vacation or just have no inspiration whatsoever (*me*) then you just don't update for the time being.**

**Mistylight: Why thank you! Do you wish for a plushie?**

**Also, everyone, the cliffhanger of the previous chapter WAS NOT INTENTIONAL AT ALL. Meaning that nothing exciting or dramatic or mysterious happened the next day. There was just the regular battle training and such. :D**

**Now, onto the story!**

"Great StarClan, it's so hot!" Ivypaw complained loudly as the group of Initiates, with Buzzardstrike way ahead of them, trekked their way through the forest. "And it's not even Sunhigh anymore!"

"Then quit whining and go throw yourself into the river," meowed Foxpaw, flicking his ginger tail irritably.

Silverpaw snorted. "None of us can swim, feather-brain."

Foxpaw glanced at her blankly. "Exactly my point."

Ivypaw's yellow eyes widened indignantly. "I can swim," she protested. "I've just…never tried."

"You do realize you just undermined your own argument, right?"

Silverpaw hopped over a fallen log as the two continued to bicker, noting that she was beginning to become more agile in her movements. A half-moon had passed since the Feeding Pattern had begun, and while the training had been savagely brutal, she had to admit that her muscles were already getting stronger. Her stamina was also improving lately.

Now when Buzzardstrike set the Initiates against each other to train, Silverpaw was more in control of her movements and didn't run out of breath or tire as quickly as she had in the beginning. She was still smaller than her friends-except maybe Ivypaw-but she was starting to be able to hold her own in the battle training.

_They'll need to stop underestimating me soon. _The thought sent little tingles of pleasure through her. It would be nice to finally be treated as an equal in the eyes of her fellow Initiates.

However, today's training had been extraordinarily severe. Buzzardstrike had woken them up even earlier than usual and had immediately made sent them into battle training against one another. This time, though, he had allowed the Initiates to pair up into groups of two. Silverpaw and Ivypaw had immediately stuck together while Runningpaw and Smokepaw paired off and Foxpaw had chosen Nettlepaw. Then they had spent nearly the entire day clawing and pummeling each other until Buzzardstrike had directed them to stop.

Needless to say, now they each sported at least one new wound and Silverpaw wanted nothing more than to sleep for another six moons.

"Initiates!" Buzzardstrike's deep voice called from up ahead. "This is unacceptable. Get a move on or none of you are eating tonight!"

Silverpaw's stomach rumbled loudly at the thought of going to bed hungry. The last time any of them had eaten was at Sunhigh when they'd taken a break to try and hunt. The gray tabby quickened her pace and shoved ahead of Smokepaw, who was leading them. Under no circumstances was she going to wait until dawn to get one lousy piece of fresh-kill.

She skidded to a clumsy halt in front of the deputy, the sticky mud making her steps slow and trapping her paws. She flailed wildly, trying to get a grip on the slick ground, before gravity took over and she fell flat on her face. Silverpaw winced when the hard landing sent a wave of pain through her newly nicked ear and the shallow scratch along her flank.

She spat out a mouthful of dirt and struggled to right herself, suddenly realizing that she had made a fool of herself in front of Buzzardstrike and all her friends. Her pelt burst into flames with embarrassment at the _mrr_ows of amusement that sounded from behind her.

She glanced up ashamedly at the smoky gray tom standing in front of her, positive she was in for a lecture on how not to act like an idiot. But when she looked at Buzzardstrike, she was stunned to see that his whiskers were twitching.

_Did he actually find that funny?_ She thought, eyes widening. The BrokenClan deputy must have seen her surprised reaction because the faint humor faded from his expression as soon as it had appeared.

"I never knew how _graceful _you were, Silverpaw," Runningpaw drawled when the rest of the Initiates finally caught up.

"Shut up, fish-brain," Silverpaw snapped, trying and failing to hide her mortification. "With your pelt you don't even need mud to look stupid."

"Enough!" Buzzardstrike hissed, cutting off whatever Runningpaw was about to say. "Your senseless babbling is making my head pound. Now get into camp before I give you each another wound to add to your collection."

They didn't need to be told twice. Silverpaw shot through the log so fast, she had to check her pelt to make sure tufts of fur hadn't gotten stuck inside of it. Nettlepaw and Smokepaw followed and Buzzardstrike brought up the rear.

The gray tabby Initiate scanned the clearing, noticing with a prickle of astonishment that almost every single BrokenClan cat was there. Since it was close to sundown, usually most of her Clanmates would be in their dens and keeping to themselves, or out in the forest border patrolling. But not today.

Silverpaw couldn't quite wrap her mind around how many cats resided in BrokenClan. Sure, she'd seen almost everyone in her moon of being an Initiate; but not once had the entire Clan gathered together at the same time like this. That in itself was enough to make her fur start to rise and her heart to beat faster.

"What's going on?" she murmured to Ivypaw, who had halted beside her a few tail lengths from the cluster of cats.

Ivypaw shook her head, yellow eyes narrowed curiously. "I dunno," she responded.

"Am I the only one who has a bad feeling about this?" asked Foxpaw as the rest of the Initiates slid up beside Silverpaw and Ivypaw.

"No," Nettlepaw meowed quietly. "I have a _very_ bad feeling about this." His brown ear began flicking, a sure sign that his anxiety level was rising. Runningpaw moved closer to his brother, his dark green eyes wary and suspicious.

Silverpaw looked around, searching for Skywhisper. After a moment she caught sight of the familiar tabby pelt of her mother, sitting stiffly beside Ryefeather and Swiftpetal. "C'mon you guys," she mewed, flicking her tail and padding over to the she-cats.

Skywhisper and Ryefeather were talking in hushed tones and seemed to be in a heated conversation, which stopped abruptly when Silverpaw and the others slid up to them.

"Foxpaw, Smokepaw!" Swiftpetal exclaimed, alarm making her voice shrill. "What happened to you?" She closed the distance between her and her sons and immediately began licking one of the bleeding scratches Foxpaw had on the left side of his face.

"_Swiftpetal,_" the ginger tom complained, wriggling out of his mother's grasp_. _"I'm not a kit anymore!"

The white and black she-cat gave him a stern glare. "Foxpaw, I haven't seen you or your brother in eight sunrises. I think I have the right to clean your wounds."

"But that's what Mintwhisker and Tawnyflame are for," Smokepaw argued, though he didn't move when Swiftpetal started on him.

Silverpaw turned from them and butted her head against Skywhisper's shoulder, purring softly. "Hey stranger," she teased. "Haven't seen you in a while."

Her current worries eased slightly when her mother nuzzled her, blinking her green eyes slowly. "I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to properly see you in a while. Cedarstar's kept us all very busy."

Silverpaw cocked her head to the side questioningly. "But it's been a moon since you've come back. Surely you've made up for the time you've been away?" In her eyes, a moon seemed like more than enough time to get back into the feel of being in BrokenClan.

Ryefeather glanced up at her from where she was speaking with her own kits. "It's not as simple as that, Silverpaw," she meowed softly.

"What do you mean-?"

"Cats of BrokenClan!" Cedarstar's deep voice drowned out the rest of her sentence and Silverpaw felt a flicker of annoyance. She looked around to see where his call had come from and she realized the dark brown tom was at the top of the huge, dead tree that the BrokenClan cats were surrounding. His fur blended in with the bark so well, the only way she knew he was there was because of his cold yellow eyes gleaming in the fading light.

Once the murmurs had died down, he continued with his announcement. "As you all know, tonight is the full moon. For our Initiates over there," Cedarstar gestured with his tail to where Silverpaw and the others stood, "this means that they will have to participate in the Trials of Worth."

Loud cheers came from a good portion of the cats and Silverpaw's fur stood on end. She caught Runningpaw's eye and the fear in his eyes reflected hers. She turned to ask Skywhisper what was going on, but her mother's carefully guarded gaze was focused straight ahead. The silver tabby's spine was fully erect and her tail was wrapped tightly around her paws as if she was trying to hold herself together.

_Something's very wrong,_ Silverpaw thought uneasily.

Cedarstar waited until silence had descended once again before meowing, "I will be choosing which cats will be accompanying Buzzardstrike and I to the island. Aside from the Initiates, the following cats will come with us: Echostep, Lizardclaw, Mallowshade, Addertail, Snowfeather, Thistlefur, Scorchfoot, Tigerleaf, and Dovestone. We will be leaving as soon as the moon begins to rise, and not a moment after. Is that understood?"

Shouts of agreement rose from Silverpaw's Clanmates and Cedarstar nodded tersely before sliding nimbly down the large tree trunk and landing gracefully on his paws. He stalked over to where the Initiates were, and he stopped in front of them.

"Buzzardstrike tells me most of you are improving in your battle techniques," the BrokenClan leader growled, his yellow eyes raking over the six younger cats. Silverpaw had to force herself not to flinch when his gaze passed over her. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Runningpaw raise his chin slightly and Foxpaw straighten his posture.

"This is good to hear. Tonight in the Trials of Worth, you will need to show just how much you've learned in the past moon." Cedarstar paced slowly in front of them; eyeing them as if they were a piece of prey he was stalking. "What you do and how you execute it will reflect upon Buzzardstrike as well as all of you."

Ivypaw cleared her throat, shuffling her paws uncomfortably. "Excuse me, Cedarstar," she mewed, "but what exactly _is_ Trials of Worth?"

The dark furred tom flicked an ear dismissively at the question. "That is something you will find out when you get to the island. I simply suggest you lick your wounds and prepare yourself."

"But how are we supposed to prepare when we don't even know what we're getting into?" Silverpaw protested, finding the whole thing to be incredibly ridiculous. "Why is it this huge secret that everybody else knows except us?"

"Silverpaw…" Skywhisper hissed, a warning edge in her tone that clearly meant _back off_.

Cedarstar raised his tail to silence the Follower, his eyes narrowed on Silverpaw. He padded closer to the gray tabby until they were less than a tail-length apart. His muscles rippled powerfully under his fur as he towered over her. Silverpaw involuntarily took a step back, startled. She'd forgotten just how large the BrokenClan leader actually was.

"I've a lot about you, Silverpaw," Cedarstar stated coldly. "Buzzardstrike tells me you always have to have your opinion out there and that sometimes you don't know when to shut up." He scowled at Skywhisper. "Seems she inherited that from you."

Confusion prickled to life inside of her. What was Cedarstar talking about? Skywhisper was one of the most level-headed cats Silverpaw knew! Well, except maybe Buzzardstrike. And that was only when things were going his way.

Skywhisper lifted her chin in an almost regal bearing and kept her green eyes locked with his yellow ones. Silverpaw felt a rush of pride that, like her, her mother didn't easily back down from a challenge.

"Or maybe her father," the silver Follower suggested in a tense voice. "It takes two to make a kit, as you very well know."

A heavy silence fell over the ten cats and Silverpaw was itching to break it. However, this was probably the first time anyone besides her and her friends had mentioned their fathers in the moon they had been training. Her persistent curiosity always bordered on _annoying_, seeing as she could never quell the urge to know everything about everything. And now was a chance for the possibility of one of her many questions to be answered.

After what felt like moons, Cedarstar slowly answered, "Remember your place, Skywhisper. You know what happens to those who forget." Then, without another word, he turned and ambled away.

It seemed like all of them sagged in relief in unison as the leader padded out of earshot. Silverpaw was able to breathe normally again, even though her heart was racing as if she'd ran the whole territory. "What was that about?" she questioned, looking at her mother.

Skywhisper didn't reply for a few moments and suddenly appeared a lot older than she was. "No more questions, Silverpaw." She abruptly turned away and strode off towards the dead log entrance, leaving the baffled Initiate in her wake.

Ryefeather slid up beside her and nudged her gently towards the fresh-kill pile. "Come on, Silverpaw. I bet you could use a nice fish right about now," she stated softly.

Silverpaw nodded and followed the others, tail dragging in the dusty sand that covered most of the clearing. Her mind was whirling so fast she almost felt dizzy. What was this "island" Cedarstar had spoken about? What were the Trials of Worth?

_And,_ she thought as a flash of realization hit her, _why did he only choose to bring the cats that don't care about us getting hurt?_

Her gut was telling her something was seriously off, and it had, unfortunately, never been wrong before.

**0o0o0**

The nighttime air was thick and heavy with humidity as the group of BrokenClan cats made their way to the island, keeping a few tail-lengths between themselves and the churning river to their left. Even though it was early Leaf-Fall, a warm breeze ruffled Silverpaw's long fur, which had turned a very soft shade of gray in the light of the full moon. However, even the comfortable temperature did nothing to ease the chill that had taken hold of her ever since they'd left for the island.

Cedarstar was at the head of the group and Buzzardstrike padded silently on his left side. The deputy could have been a shadow, what with his smoky fur and quiet pawsteps. The Initiates were stuck somewhere in the middle of the rest of the throng of cats, with Dovestone and Thistlefur bringing up the rear.

To Silverpaw, it seemed as though they're been walking for moons. Unaccustomed to the stones and pebbles that made up the shore, the pads of her paws were stinging with every new scratch the rocks made. Add to that the exhaustion tugging at her limbs from today's training, and she was now genuinely considering lying down and taking a nap right then and there.

Her eyelids were heavy and she saw that her friends, too, were struggling like she was. Foxpaw and Smokepaw looked as if they were trying to hold each other up, and Nettlepaw was leaning heavily on Runningpaw. The only one who appeared to be fully awake was Ivypaw, eyes alert and ears pricked curiously.

With her attention focused on the others, Silverpaw stumbled over a particularly large stone and would have fallen hard onto the pointy rocks if a sturdy shoulder hadn't caught her is time. Bewildered and now slightly more aware of her surroundings, she looked up to see that it was Lizardclaw who had helped her-the black tom with an intense possession of trout she had met earlier in her training.

"T-thank you," she stammered, righting herself and shaking her head to rid it of the bleary fog inside.

Lizardclaw flicked his tail at her, amber eyes bright with faint amusement. "Seems like you could use a nap," he meowed dryly, stating the obvious.

Silverpaw nodded and sighed wearily. "I feel like I could sleep for a moon."

"Well, you look like you could use it."

"Thanks," she deadpanned.

The dark furred Follower shrugged, weaving around a clump of reeds protruding from the ground. "It's the truth. In fact, all of you look like you're about to pass out from exhaustion." He inclined his head to where her friends were walking a bit in front of her, the movement catching the moonlight and illuminating the multiple scars that were laced all over his muzzle.

"Did you get those from Initiation?" she asked quietly, pointing with her tail tip at the marks. She spoke softly, not wanting anyone to hear their conversation.

Lizardclaw glanced at her before directing his attention to the vast indigo sky where the yellow-bellied moon hung. "It's strange," he murmured, "how to us our problems seem huge and terrible; but when you look up and see all the stars, you realize just how small you are compared to everything else."

She noticed that he didn't answer her question, but something in the way the senior Follower spoke made her curiosity raise its head yet again. She looked around uneasily and was relieved to find that no one gave any indication of hearing their conversation. Some of her other Clanmates were conversing amongst themselves, their words a low buzz that drowned out her and Lizardclaw's exchange.

"What do you mean exactly?" she mewed, turning back.

"Do you know what the Trials of Worth are, Silverpaw?" he asked, answering her question with one of his own.

Surprised, she shook her head.

Lizardclaw sighed, his amber eyes becoming distant as if he was remembering something. "It is forbidden to speak to a new Initiate about this, you know. They want you to go in unprepared because they think that way, your instincts will take over and they'll be able to see how much you've learned."

"But…but what is it?" whispered Silverpaw, apprehension and fear bubbling up inside of her.

Lizardclaw grew quiet and stayed that way for so long, Silverpaw had to restrain herself from tackling him and demanding to know everything. Finally, the black pelted tom turned his head and blinked slowly down at her. His expression was set in grim determination, as if he wished he could tell her anything different than what he was about to say.

"It's the worst thing you'll ever experience in Initiation."

***ominous music ensues* Sorry for yet ANOTHER cliffhanger, though this one was, in fact, intentional :P I have everything planned out for the next chapter and I'm gonna start up on it right away and it'll most likely be up either late tonight of sometime tomorrow. **

**I hope you guys didn't give up on me! And once again, I'm terribly sorry for being a horrible person. But, well, I'm only human :)**


	9. Chapter eight

**You know, I seem to never be able to keep my promises when it comes to this story. *sighs* don't ask me why. But hey, here's the next chapter anyway! ^-^**

**ShoutFinder: Yes, you got the name right, don't worry. You'll just have to wait and see who the father is in due time…*creepy music* ahem. Anyway, thanks again for helping me with the last chapter and this chapter too, in a way. :D**

**Honeyshine: Man, I absolutely despise writer's block. :( BUT! I HAVE COMPLETED ANOTHER CHAPTER ALREADY! And sorry for the continuous, dreaded cliffhangers :/**

**Born of True Destiny: I can actually say that I have kept that part of the promise XD AND I FINALLY FINISHED TRAPPED IN ICE! I told you I'd get to it eventually! *sheepish smile***

**ShastamaeFirepool: Why thank you! And I bet you know who it is as well, seeing as I haven't exactly made it a secret XD would you like a plushie of him?**

**Guest: Thanks so much! I myself am starting to love Foxpaw's character. I seem to consistently have a soft spot for them ginger toms XD**

**This chapter will have a LOT of action in it, so be prepared! **

**ONWARD!**

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I don't think anyone's joking right now, Runningpaw."

"I'm not crossing that thing! It doesn't even look like it can hold our weight!"

"Smokepaw, I don't think we have a choice in the matter."

"But Ivypaw, you do realize that none of us can swim, right?"

"This seems to be the second time today that you've reminded me of that, Foxpaw."

It had taken what seemed like ages, but the BrokenClan cats had finally arrived at their destination. Or at least, the large dead tree that served as the only way to and from the island. Cedarstar had raised his tail to indicate the group to stop, and now the six Initiates could finally get a good look at the thing that would take them to the shoreline.

The full moon was now blazing high in the sky, casting more than enough light so that, even from multiple tail-lengths away, Silverpaw could clearly see how rotted the tree actually was. And when Cedarstar hopped easily onto it and started to make his way across, her heart almost stopped in her chest.

Were these cats seriously proposing that they had to climb onto that thing and not fall into the black, still water below?

"This has to be a dream, "she muttered, tail lashing back and forth and ears flat against her head.

Nettlepaw scoffed. "More like a nightmare," he meowed bitterly.

Silverpaw felt someone give her a hard shove and she stumbled forward, barely saving herself from yet _another_ face plant into the ground. "Hey! Watch where you're-"

"It appears to me that it's your turn to cross, _kit_," the instigator, a dirty white she-cat with scars coating her pelt, growled. Silverpaw couldn't suppress a shudder at how raspy the Follower's voice was. She narrowed her eyes, struggling to put a name onto the cat. After a moment, _Snowfeather_ clicked into place.

"But there are still a lot more cats that have to…" her voice trailed off as she turned around and saw that the blue-eyed Follower was right. Other than her friends and Snowfeather, all the other BrokenClan cats were already on the other side.

Snowfeather looked smug. "Exactly. Now hurry up before I deliberately push you into the water."

"You can't threaten her like that!" Ivypaw exclaimed vehemently, Foxpaw and Runningpaw nodding feverishly beside her.

"Enough! Or do all of you need a taste of what that water feels like?"

Not wanting her friends to get into any more trouble because of her, Silverpaw took a deep breath and padded to the log on shaky paws. She leapt onto the slimy bark and dug her claws into the decaying wood. The whole thing felt like it could break at any moment.

_You can do this,_ she told herself as she began to slowly make her way across. _Just don't look down and you'll be fine._

So, naturally, she looked down.

Her heart plummeted when she realized how high above the water she was. The moonlight did nothing to ease the dark blackness that surrounded the dead tree on all sides, causing her limbs to lock up. She was going to fall. She was going to slip and crash into the lake below, unable to swim. The tugging water was going to pull her down until she couldn't tell which way was up or down. She was going to be lost there and no one would find her. She was-

"Silverpaw," a soft voice tugged her from her silent panic attack. The gray tabby blinked and turned her head slightly to see that Nettlepaw was there behind her, looking calm except for his flickering ear.

"I can't do it, Nettlepaw," she whispered, unable to move.

The brown tom shook his head. "Yes you can. Look, you're almost halfway there."

"But what if I fall?"

"You won't," Nettlepaw stated sternly, though his blue eyes clearly gave away his nervousness. "I'll catch you."

The idea that timid, jumpy Nettlepaw was trying to calm her down made a bubble of hysteria burst from Silverpaw's chest. "You promise?" She hated asking for help, but now was not the time to be stubborn and prideful.

"Of course."

"Hurry up you two!" Runningpaw shouted from a ways behind them.

Silverpaw swallowed hard and let out a shaky breath. She eased her claws from the death grip they had on the trunk and started moving once again. Each time she would slow down, Nettlepaw nudged her gently with his head. At one point, she felt herself start to slide off of the slippery wood and she cried out in fear.

But, just like he promised, her friend caught her and waited until she was back on her paws to move forward.

At long last, Silverpaw slid off the trunk and landed clumsily on the shoreline, her breath coming in rapid gasps of relief. Nettlepaw landed beside her and they waited for the others to follow.

"Thank you," she murmured, glancing at him gratefully.

The brown tom shrugged, the unease fading slightly from his expression. "It was nothing," he replied quietly.

She was about to respond, when Ivypaw fell from the tree trunk and landed on the shore with a loud squeak. Silverpaw's tail curled up in amusement and Nettlepaw let out a trill of laughter at his sister's embarrassment.

"Oh shut up, you two," the dappled she-cat huffed. She got to her paws and shook the sand from her pelt.

"Where're the rest of them?" Nettlepaw questioned suddenly, causing Silverpaw to take a good look around. He was right; the whole shoreline was completely deserted.

"Great," she sighed. "Now we'll have to wait until Snowfeather comes."

"Was that her name?" Ivypaw sheathed and unsheathed her claws angrily. "Cedarstar has a twisted sense of humor if he gave a name as pretty as Snowfeather to a cat like _that_."

"You can say that again."

Silverpaw shushed the two littermates as the rest of the Initiates joined them, followed by the cat in question. Snowfeather glared at the three of them as if she somehow knew that they were talking about her. Silverpaw shivered at the cold look in the Follower's blue eyes and was relieved when she turned away.

"This way," was all Snowfeather said before she turned and disappeared into the thick undergrowth. Silverpaw exchanged a glance with Ivypaw before they all followed.

The ground was hard and compact beneath her paws, a small reprieve from the marshy lands where BrokenClan resided. The island was full of exotic looking plants and trees, and Silverpaw knew that if the sun was up instead of the moon, the entire island would be an array of beautiful shapes and colors. She wondered if she would ever get a chance to witness it in the daytime, to be a part of something so perfect.

When they arrived at the top of the small incline they'd been ascending, Snowfeather slowed and gave them a look that could wither a young, blooming flower. "Well, what are you waiting for? The sun to rise? Move!"

Startled at her loud command, the six Initiates tumbled forward in a blur of different colored pelts. Silverpaw nearly lost control of her speed as they raced down the hill and towards the bottom. When she finally slid to a halt, her heart was galloping from the rush.

"That was insane. I can't believe she made us…" Silverpaw lost sense of her voice when she took a good, clear look at her surroundings. _No. Way._

The entire clearing was filled to the brim with cats. Her jaw dropped open and a harsh, musky scent invaded her mouth, causing her to gag. "W-what is that _smell?_" she sputtered.

Her friends were utterly silent. Runningpaw cleared his throat and whispered, "StormClan."

Silverpaw slowly scanned the faces of cats around her. She recognized all of her Clanmates, but all the others were as foreign as the disgusting aroma flowing off of them. It was incredibly easy to tell the two Clans apart: The BrokenClan cats were bulkier, with broader shoulders while the StormClan cats had more slender shapes and long, spindly legs. They also didn't appear to have _nearly_ as many scars as the BrokenClan cats.

Silverpaw noticed that while her Clanmates were stiff and awkward, the cats of StormClan were chatting easily amongst themselves and looked almost _comfortable_ in the large crowd. The sight baffled her beyond belief.

_We couldn't be more different from each other,_ she thought, unsure how she felt about that.

"Silverpaw!"

She turned when Ivypaw called her name. "Yeah?"

Her friend gestured with her tail to their right. "Look," Ivypaw murmured softly.

Confused, Silverpaw followed the she-cat's gaze and her breath caught in her throat. There, right in front of her, stood the biggest oak tree she had ever seen. Forget the one in the unknown territory she had stayed in for six moons; the one that stood over the nursery as if it was a guardian; the one she'd loved for as long as she could remember.

Its trunk was huge and round, its dozens of leaf-covered branches sweeping up to the sky as if reaching for the stars. The light of the moon illuminated the rich, gleaming bark and silhouetted it so that it seemed to Silverpaw that the tree was holding up the sky all by itself.

It was powerful and majestic, and she couldn't believe she'd ever thought the one by the nursery did any justice. _This_ was what a real oak tree looked like.

"It's beautiful," she meowed with wide blue eyes, knowing that beautiful didn't even begin to cover what she thought about it.

Foxpaw nodded. "It's quite something alright."

"Hey-is that Cedarstar sitting on that branch?" Runningpaw asked unexpectedly.

Silverpaw tore her gaze from the oak tree and squinted at the lower branches. After a moment, she caught sight of a pair of gleaming yellow eyes. "What's he doing up there?"

Nettlepaw narrowed his eyes. "And who is that other cat up there with him?"

Following the direction where he was looking, Silverpaw realized that a smaller, more slender cat was sitting proudly on a branch just higher of Cedarstar. The moon had turned the cat's tabby fur to a very pale brown and made its white underbelly more prominent. A pair of clear amber eyes gazed down below and seemed to hold all the secrets of StarClan.

"Heatherstar," breathed Smokepaw. "Leader of StormClan."

"What is going _on_?" Silverpaw growled, exasperated that none of them knew what was happening.

Runningpaw flicked an ear, green eyes wide. "I think we're about to find out."

As if on cue, Heatherstar rose to her paws on the thick branch and raised her tail. When all traces of conversation were extinguished, the StormClan leader began to speak. "Cats of the Clans," she called in a loud, strong voice, "Tonight is the full moon, a night where each set of Initiates prove how much they've learned in their first moon of Initiation."

That did not sound good at _all._

"However, before we begin," Heatherstar continued, "Let us introduce the cats who have joined our ranks. Boulderpaw and Blackpaw, sons of Shadefeather." Silverpaw stretched her neck and saw a small black tom and a gray tom, considerably larger than his littermate, step forward. "And Honeypaw, Russetpaw, and Brackenpaw, daughters and son of Mosspelt."

This time, three cats emerged from the group: a pretty golden tabby she-cat, a long-legged golden-brown tom, and a very dark ginger she-cat with a pelt that rivaled Foxpaw's. Silverpaw glanced at said tom and guessed that he was thinking the same thing, considering how his amber eyes narrowed in on the she-cat almost instantly.

Heatherstar's voice pulled her attention back. "They have trained hard over the past moon and are ready to show their worth." As the StormClan leader said this, her eyes glowed with pride as she looked down at the Initiates and Silverpaw felt a pang of resentment. Cedarstar never showed even a speckle of the satisfaction Heatherstar had for her Clanmates, no matter how hard they tried to please him.

Cheers rose from the cluster of StormClan cats and Heatherstar dipped her head to Cedarstar, signaling that she was done speaking.

The calls quieted down and the large dark furred tom got to his paws, yellow eyes cold as he observed the crowd surrounding the oak tree. "BrokenClan was blessed with six new Initiates this past leaf-bare," he announced, voice even and flat. If Silverpaw didn't know better, she would've sworn he sounded almost bored.

"Smokepaw and Foxpaw, sons of Swiftpetal." The two brothers glanced at each other and cautiously stepped forward at the sound of their names. "Ivypaw, Runningpaw, and Nettlepaw, sons and daughter of Ryefeather."

Ivypaw bounded forward eagerly while her littermates followed at a much slower pace, skepticism in every move they made.

"And finally, Silverpaw, daughter of Skywhisper."

Silverpaw padded forward, blue eyes focused on the ground as hushed whisper came from the StormClan cats. The gray tabby strained with all her might to try and hear what they could possibly be talking about, but she only managed to catch snippets of conversations.

"Says she did something-"

"Tried to run-"

"That apprentice-"

"Deputy didn't like it-"

"Should've been exiled-"

That last one startled her. _Exiled?_ The word itself was enough to turn her blood to ice. She'd never heard it before, but she was instantly flashed back to the conversation she'd had with Skywhisper the day they'd left the nursery and traveled to BrokenClan. What had her mother said about Sparkpaw?

_He never made it past Initiation. Not everyone passes._

At the time, Silverpaw had been too innocent to process what exactly that meant. She hadn't really given thought of what happened to the tom, had shoved it from her mind due to all the stress of Initiation. But now, she could put two and two together. _That's_ what happened to Sparkpaw. He'd been exiled.

But why?

"Enough of this!" Cedarstar snarled as the hum of murmuring grew louder. "Are we waiting for leaf-bare or something? The moon is going to set soon if we don't start!"

Heatherstar glanced at him through shrewd eyes. "Of course," she responded after a moment. She cleared her throat and instructed, "Initiates from both Clans, come forward to the center of the clearing!"

Silverpaw moved closer to Ivypaw, pressing her pelt against her friend's a vain attempt of reassurance. The Followers from both Clans moved back so that a wide empty circle was left in the middle of the clearing, where the StormClan Initiates already stood. She noticed that Honeypaw, the pretty golden she-cat, looked as if she was about to flee any moment; her sister Russetpaw, however, had her green eyes narrowed excitedly. The three toms stood side by side next to the two she-cats, as if grimly awaiting their fate.

_Do they know what this is about?_ Silverpaw wondered when she saw the fierce determination gleaming in Russetpaw's eyes and the grave acceptance in Boulderpaw's expression. _Did Heatherstar tell them when Cedarstar refused to tell us?_

The thought made her resolve harden. Whatever the Trials of Worth was, she would meet it head-on with as much strength as her tired limbs could give her.

"You look like you could take on a badger," whispered Ivypaw, fondness in her yellow eyes.

Despite the circumstances, Silverpaw felt her whiskers twitch. "For what it's worth, I think you'd have a better chance at that then I would," she responded dryly.

Ivypaw flicked her with her silver tail. The amusement faded and was replaced with uncertainty and fear. "Whatever's going to happen, promise me you'll come out with only a few scratches."

"We'll be fine," she mewed firmly. _Then why does it feel like we're saying goodbye?_

When the six of them stopped in front of the five StormClan Initiates, Silverpaw knew that both sides were sizing the other one up. She was positive the other cats would see her as the weakest link because of her size, and she knew her friends were thinking the same thing about Blackpaw-the small, lithe black tom standing next to Boulderpaw.

However, by now Silverpaw knew from experience that size meant hardly anything as long as one was fast and nimble. That in itself could just be equally as deadly.

"Followers," Cedarstar yowled, "tonight in the Trials of Worth, these eleven Initiates will prove they have what it takes to be part of their Clan. On every full moon from now until they reach the status of a Follower, they will be tested in different skills sets. Tonight, it is battle technique. The Initiates from BrokenClan will fight one-on-one with the Initiates from StormClan. If it is too much for you, you have the choice to surrender." He said _surrender_ as if he was talking about a moon-old piece of crowfood. Silverpaw knew there would be no surrendering for the BrokenClan Initiates. Not unless they absolutely had to.

"The last one standing from either Clan will simply gain the satisfaction of knowing that they are better than any of their fellow Initiates."

"But StormClan is outnumbered!" a black and brown tom piped up, frustration evident in the way he kneaded the ground with his paws. "That's not a fair match!"

"Look at that one, Acornwhisker," one of his Clanmates meowed scathingly, gesturing savagely with his head in Silverpaw's direction. "Boulderpaw could take her out with one swipe!"

Silverpaw raised her chin defiantly and bared her teeth at the gray tom who'd insulted her. She felt Ivypaw rest her tail warningly on her shoulders and she forced herself to take deep breaths. Rage and fear were becoming blended inside of her and she couldn't tell where one ended and one began.

"It's still unfair!"

"Such is the way of life, Acornwhisker," Cedarstar drawled, giving his chest fur a few lazy licks. Silverpaw could tell that he was enjoying himself immensely and her rage kicked up another level. "Initiates, you know the rules. Last one standing wins."

The clearing was tense and silent and no one dared to breathe, much less make a move.

Cedarstar rolled his eyes. "_Begin._"

Without any warning, Silverpaw was slammed into so hard that she flew a couple of tail-lengths away. She banged her head against the hard ground and black dots appeared in her vision. Too stunned to move, her attacker pounced on her and instantly began to pummel her with their back claws.

Silverpaw screeched in pain and writhed violently, unbalancing the cat above her so that she could wiggle out like a sleek fish. Turning around, she saw that it was Honeypaw standing before her-and the golden she-cat still looked as frightened as she had before. A loud yowl sounded from behind her and Honeypaw's eyes flicked to it for a heartbeat-but that was all Silverpaw needed.

The gray tabby surged forward and lashed out in an onslaught of thorn sharp claws, making the StormClan Initiate howl in pain. Twisting lithely on her paws in a move Buzzardstrike had shoved into her, she didn't pause as she raced toward Honeypaw and tackled her to the ground.

Honeypaw swiped at her and Silverpaw hissed in pain when she felt her skin tear on her shoulder. Her pain morphed into anger almost instantly and she relentlessly attacked Honeypaw's spine with her back claws.

Suddenly, the world turned upside down when Honeypaw rolled over, trying to squash Silverpaw with her weight. The BrokenClan Initiate gasped in pain but soon Honeypaw's momentum carried her through and Silverpaw was struggling to catch her breath. Not wasting anytime, Honeypaw jumped onto her and sliced her claws down Silverpaw's stomach.

Silverpaw went limp. Honeypaw leaned down and snarled, "That's not going to fool me mouse-brain!" Before she had even finished, Silverpaw sent her flying with a fierce kick to the stomach. She tackled the golden she-cat and bit her tail so hard she tasted blood.

Honeypaw wailed in pain and flailed wildly but Silverpaw shoved all her weight on top of the larger cat, trying desperately to hold her down while she still had Honeypaw's tail in her mouth.

"Okay, I give up," cried the StormClan Imitate, defeat clear in her voice. "Please, I give up!"

"Honeypaw from StormClan surrenders!" a loud voice called, as if keeping score of something.

Silverpaw detached herself from Honeypaw, regret blossoming in her chest when she saw how raggedly torn the she-cat's tail was. "I'm sorry," she meowed quietly. Honeypaw rose to her paws and sent her a scathing look.

"You destroyed my tail! It will never be pretty again!"  
Okay, so maybe she didn't feel _that_ bad for the whiny, complaining scrap. Silverpaw sent Honeypaw a look that clearly told her just how stupid she thought the StormClan cat was before she turned around and threw herself back into the battle.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she went fully into battle mode. All other things disappeared and all she saw was her friends and the StormClan Initiates. She scanned the fight and saw that Runningpaw was fighting back-to-back with Foxpaw, each mirroring each other's moves perfectly as they sparred with Brackenpaw and Russetpaw. Ivypaw was holding her own against Blackpaw.

However, Boulderpaw was playing with Smokepaw as if the BrokenClan tom was a tiny mouse sent for his amusement. Boulderpaw was larger than any of them, bulkier than being a StormClan cat usually allowed, and Smokepaw was trying desperately to make a mark on the gray tom.

But Smokepaw had never been the best fighter, and Boulderpaw sent him flying with a hard cuff on the head. Silverpaw looked around desperately and spotted Nettlepaw frozen in place, watching what was happening with scared eyes.

"Nettlepaw!" she screamed, and the brown tom jerked his head up. His blue eyes met hers and she motioned to where Boulderpaw was slowly stalking towards a stunned Smokepaw. "Together!"

A ferocious gleam came to his eyes, one Silverpaw had never seen before. "Together!" he yowled, running towards the two toms. Silverpaw was already racing forward and they slammed into Boulderpaw at the exact same time.

The huge gray tom shouted in shock as he was thrown off balance, but he immediately found his footing and spun around to face them. His blue eyes narrowed savagely. "Would you look at that," he sneered, "A kit and a skinny bag of bones trying to fight me?"

Silverpaw let out a loud caterwaul and rushed him, anticipating the feint to the left he was going to do. Her claws met his ear and sliced down the whole length of it, causing him to growl in pain. What she didn't expect, though, was how fast he was. He slammed his shoulder into her side and Silverpaw stumbled, her paw twisting painfully. She fell onto her side and Boulderpaw was about to take advantage before Nettlepaw caught him off guard with a series of lightning-fast swipes to the muzzle.

Silverpaw leapt up, ignoring the severe throbbing in her left paw. She ran to help her friend and crashed into Boulderpaw's flank, sending both of them toppling over in a blur of teeth and claws. He sliced a deep gash along her face and she howled in agony, blood dripping into her eye and making her blind for a moment.

With nothing but the basic need to survive burning through her, Silverpaw lashed out ruthlessly with every ounce of strength she had left. She yowled in triumph whenever her claws met their mark and at last they finally separated. Both of them were breathing heavily as they slowly stalked one another in a circle.

Silverpaw knew she wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. The wounds Boulderpaw and Honeypaw had left her with were searing and waves of pain spiked from her twisted paw. But she felt a sort of savage satisfaction when she realized she'd left quite a lot of her own marks on Boulderpaw.

"Ready to give up yet?" the gray tom hissed as they continued to circle one another.

_ "_Never," she growled.

_He's trying to distract you,_ a voice that sounded oddly like Buzzardstrike told her. _Wait for the sign that he's about to attack. _

She didn't have to wait long. A slight shift in his weight distribution alerted her a split second before he leapt.

_NOW!_

Silverpaw bunched her leg muscles and, with a force of will she didn't know she had, jumped into the air and sailed right over Boulderpaw. Contorting her body in midair, she landed hard on the other side of him, the effect sending a ripple of pain through her.

_Spin and brace yourself! _the voice commanded.

She didn't have time to second guess it. She spun around swiftly and tried to do as the voice said, but she wasn't quick enough. Boulderpaw met her in a head-on collision and crashed into her so violently, the force caused him to continue off of her when they slammed into the ground.

_Get up! _ This time it was her own voice screaming at her. _Get up, get up, get up!_

A fog had settled into Silverpaw's head and she was nearly blind with pain by now. She wanted nothing more than to keep laying there and fall asleep, but she vaguely registered that that would not be a good idea at all-unless she wanted to be mauled to death.

The trembling gray tabby agonizingly tried to get to her paws, but it was slow going. She couldn't put any weight onto her left paw and her entire frame was quivering with the effort of struggling to stay upright. It was too much effort.

Silverpaw felt herself falling back down, but for the second time that night, a sturdy shoulder caught her. She blinked blearily and looked up into the concerned yellow eyes of Ivypaw.

"Silverpaw?" her friend demanded loudly. "Silverpaw, can you hear me?"

The she-cat winced. It sounded like Ivypaw's voice was amplified to the maximum. "Stop talking so loud," she mumbled. "I'm right here."

Relief made Ivypaw _mrr_ow with laughter, though it was weak with exhaustion. Silverpaw squinted through the fog and noticed that Ivypaw's muzzle was bleeding profusely. "You're hurt," she exclaimed, alarm making her voice an octave higher than usual. "Ivypaw, you're bleeding-"

The dappled she-cat shook her head wearily. "We're all bleeding, Silverpaw." She narrowed her eyes. "Though not nearly as bad as you and Nettlepaw," she added.

Silverpaw's heart skipped. "What happened? Is he alright? How bad is he?" Hysteria was starting to take over at the thought that her friend had died because of her.

"He's alive, Silverpaw," Ivypaw reassured her.

"W-what happened? Why did the fighting stop?"

The silver and white she-cat gazed at her for a long moment, her expression wavering as if she was deciding between something.

Silverpaw pulled away. "What happened, Ivypaw?" she asked sharply, apprehension turning her blood to ice.

"You and Nettlepaw were the last two standing," Ivypaw stated eventually.

Silverpaw blinked. "B-but that's a good thing, right?"

Ivypaw blinked slowly at her, misery plain as day in her wide eyes. "Smokepaw surrendered. And Cedarstar just now made it clear what the consequence for that will be."

Her thoughts were spinning too wildly to make sense of anything. "I don't understand. What are you trying to say?"

"Silverpaw…as soon as we return back to BrokenClan territory, Smokepaw's gone."

Alarm shot through Silverpaw and froze all thought process. "But why?" she whispered, already knowing but not wanting to believe it.

"Because," Ivypaw meowed, her voice cracking at the end, "Cedarstar sent him into exile."

**DUN DUN DUN DUN! That was an intense chapter to write, and it's probably the longest one out of the whole story so far! I apologize that I keep leaving cliffhangers after, like, every chapter; but these darn things are just so fun to write! :3 Review and tell me what you thought and what you think is going to happen!**


End file.
